This Time's Reality: Ring of Ten
by veraklon
Summary: Who are the Powers That Be? The Senior Partners? The Scoobies and Fang Gang... what's left of them... join together after NFA to save the day. Starts in Season 7 in order to save Tara. Paused for Station Identification.
1. Chapter 1

SUMMARY

I was inspired by reading some of the comments and trivia regarding Joss Whedon's original plans for the direction of Buffy and the _Scoobies_ for Season Seven, especially in dealing with the final fate of one of my favorite characters, Tara Maclay.

**While I have no intention nor desire to redo "every" episode of the seventh season, the first few chapters of this fan fiction will either replace and/or add certain key scenes and moments with what I arrogantly think should have happened, as well as hopefully moving the series beyond the final episode.**

This work is a true labor of love. This was my first real attempt at actually researching and referencing so much to make sure that I had my facts straight. I started this story in October of 2005. Let's see how long it takes to finish it.

Once I have Season Seven where I want it to be, then the story can move to Angel and help clear up that cliffhanger… finally then moving forward with what I had hoped would be a potential spin-off from the primary show. I loved the idea of taking Buffy out of the limelight for a while, allowing the other characters (such as Faith, Giles, Andrew and Willow… maybe even Dawn) to grow beyond the role of sidekick and/or support.

This story is told entirely Willow Rosenberg's point of view.

I hope you enjoy the ride.

Oh… and before I forget…

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" as well as all related characters, settings and events are the original work and property of Josh Whedon, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

The rating shouldn't ever be more than the television series, but if things change, appropriate warnings will be applied.

Please read and review.

OOOOOO

CHAPTER ONE

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.07 **

**Conversations with Dead People**

The university library is quiet.

(Of course, by saying that it was quiet is a way of leading to the idea that the library was too quiet. But that sounds more like Xander…)

Glancing around from the books in front of her, Willow realized that there weren't any other students or faculty in the immediate area. Sighing, she brings her hand up to cover her mouth as she yawns yet again. (Man, some more coffee would be great about now… Is Starbucks still open? What time is it?)

Trying to get comfortable, she shifts in her chair and rests her head against her arm, her hand marking the spot on the page that she just read. (Has she read that part already? Why couldn't they at least put this stuff into rhyme or something? Or add talking animals… )

Maybe she should just close her eyes… rest for a minute.

"Willow." A voice calls out softly.

"Hey, Willow." (Mmmm? Is somebody talking to me?)

"My Willow tree."

At that, Willow's eyes pop wide open. The book that her hand had lain on falls to the floor with a loud pop, which echoes across the high-ceilings of the library. Her vision slowly coming into something discernable, she watches as the blurred image in front of her brings Tara's bright smile comes into focus.

**Tara continues to smile, her eyes sad, as she leans closer from across the table. "**I'm sorry to wake you."

(What?) "Ha…"

The love of her life, the one person in all the world she wants back, quirks an eyebrow at her. "Ha?"

There's laughter in her voice. "Ha, what?"

"Is that like a dream joke thing?" This is too much. "You're sorry to wake me, but I'm clearly not awake and if I was awake and you really were here, would you be sorry to wake me?" (Should she be laughing or crying… or both?) "I mean, after all this time and… Oh God, I'm babbling. I'm dream babbling and it's the best dream of my life and I'm wasting it and…"

**Tara** smiles at her babbling, just like she always had in the past, and eventually interrupts her. "I just meant that I liked watching you sleep."

"Oh." Willow smiles.

She watches as… (What is she? A ghost?) … her dead lover finally pulls her gaze away from her and glances about the library, the smile never leaving her face.

"It's weird being back here." Tara finally says into the drawn out silence.

Willow cocks her head to the side. "Yeah. Or kinda weird because you're dead."

"Yeah well..." Tara laughs.

"Did I fall asleep?"

Tara's smile falters slightly. "No, no, I'm here. I mean, n-not here here..." She gestures about as she talks. "it's kinda complicated."

Willow smiles. (Tara's talking to her again. She's talking to Tara.)

"Complicated, huh?" Willow leans back, never wanting to look away from the sight before her. "Tara, is it you?"

Tears begin to well in the corners of Tara's eyes, as she smiles fiercely. "Remember the bridge? The singing?" At her nod, Tara continues. "I sing where I am now so that you might hear me. Listen to me."

Willow feels tears falling down her face, matching those of the woman sitting across from her. "I so wish I could hear you…"

"No." Tara cries. "You don't understand. I need for you to listen to me now. To know why I have been singing."

"What? I don't understand."

I know. I came to warn you… to t-tell you that if you don't s-stop." Her face glistens with wetness. "We'll never be together again."

"What!" she cries out. "Why? Why not?"

"Because of what you did."

That gives her pause. "What?"

Tara uses her hand to wipe at her face. Willow can see that this is killing her (not funny.) and that she's trying to be strong. "You killed people. You're not supposed to be able see me. That's just how it is. I'm sorry."

"But? But I'm talking to you right now. And-and you can hear me? And I can talk to you." She sucks in a deep breath, hoping the feeling of dread that seems to be creeping in will go away. "I miss you. I miss you so much."

Tara begins crying in earnest at her words, her whole body shaking..

"No. No, don't cry. Don't cry, sweetie. Talk to me."

It takes Tara two tries to catch her breath… to regain her composure and once again look into her eyes. "I miss you, too. I wish I could touch you.

"Me too. Oh, me, too. Oh, God, Tara, it hurts so much. Everyday, it's like this giant hole, and it's not getting better…. And now you say we can never be together again…"

Tara's eyes brighten. "But it will get better. And we can be together again".

"How? You're gone."

"But you're not." Tara leans forward. "You're strong, like an Amazon, remember?"

At the memory, Willow does smile, even through her tears. "I do. I remember." (She _can_ do this. She has to do this. For Tara.) "I can fix this."

"How?"

Willow shrugged apologetically. "I'm not sure. I don't even know where to start. Uhmmm… after Warren shot... you know all about that, what happened?"

Tara nodded silently. "I remember everything."

"It was horrible. I was horrible. I…I lost myself, the regular me."

Tara smiled encouragingly. "Well, you were grieving."

"A lot of people grieve. They don't make with the flaying. I hurt so many people."

Willow forced herself to look at Tara, to see her nodding. "It was the power."

"I am the power. It's in me. Did I mention the random destruction of property? The Magic Box is not so much a box now?"

"The power is bigger than you are."

"I know, but?"

"Things are more clear where I am, where we are." Tara took a deep breath. "We can see your path, and you have to stop. You can't use magic again, not ever."

Willow couldn't believe her ears. (Never again?) "Black magic, of course. But Giles says it isn't as simple as-as quitting it all cold-turkey?"

"It's too dangerous. You can't take the chance that you'll lose control."

"I-I don't want to." Willow responded. "I- I can't. I never want to cause that kind of pain."

"Of course you don't."

So, I won't. I'm gonna be okay." Willow watched as Tara seemed to crumple in on herself, losing all of her energy. "What?

Tara started to cry again. "You're not gonna be okay, baby. You're gonna kill everybody."

Willow could only stare at her in horror. (Kill everybody?) "I'm gonna what?"

"That's why I came." Tara replies. "I needed to warn you."

"You saw my path? W-what do you know? What? What did you see?"

Willow watched as Tara shrunk back from the regaling that Willow had started. She had been near yelling before finally spitting out the last question. She watched as Tara shook her head. "I just wanted to warn y-you. You don't want to know what I saw."

"Oh, God!"

Tara lifted up a bit. "But if you stop. Completely. No more magic…."

"Right. Right. Stop." Willow immediately agreed. "W-what about Giles? He made it seem like it was just as dangerous for me to quit completely, like I'll go off the deep end again?"

Her lover was shaking her head vehemently. "You can't. If you do so much as another spell…"

"I tried to stop. I-I tried. What if I can't do this?"

"Don't think that way. "

"Well, how can I not?" Willow asked. "You're telling me I'm gonna murder all my friends. I'm not strong. I'm not an Amazon. I'm just me."

"Well, there is one thing… one thing you could do to stop it." Tara says quietly, almost as if afraid to mention it.

She can feel her eyes open wide. "What? Anything."

"And we could be together. We could be together forever."

"Forever?" She asks softly.

"If that's what you want, isn't it?"

"You know I do, baby."

Tara smiled. Willow's heart caught… it's that smile that they shared during special moments. "Then come to me. Be with me. Trust that everybody will be safe, and you and I'll be together again." Tara continued smiling. "It's not that bad. Really. It's just like going to sleep."

Willow stands at Tara's words, her chair falling over and banging loudly. "Who are you?"

The silence is drawn out, while Tara stares back at her. (Is she considering something?) Finally, Tara leans back in her chair, relaxed. "Suicide thing was too far, huh? Hmm. You seemed so ripe."

It's not Tara. (Should I be happy or sad?) "Tell me who you are".

The figure wearing Tara's visage leans forward. "I stand by my opinion. The world would be a better place if you took a razorblade to your wrist."

"Stop."

"I can see it now." The figure across the table… not Tara, but still looking like her, so much like her… stands. "Candlelight, the Indigo Girls playing, picture of your dead girlfriend on your bloody lap."

"Stop it!"

The figure starts talking in a bad imitation of Willow, her voice mocking. "Oh, baby, you left such a big hole. It hurt so bad." Willow has to back up as the figure leans all the way across the table. "You don't know hurt. This last year's gonna seem like cake after what I put you and your friends through, and I am not a fan of easy death. Fact is, the whole good-versus-evil, balancing the scales thing? I'm over it. I'm done with the mortal coil. But believe me; I'm going for a big finish."

Her voice strong… stronger than she feels right now. "From beneath you, it devours."

The monster wearing Tara's face leans back. "Oh, not _it_. _Me_."

Willow jerks back as 'Tara' grins wickedly as her skin rolls back. Willow fights not to throw up as her jaws flip back and she begins turning inside out until she's a floating ball of flesh… and then…

_POOF!_ It vanishes.

Willow stood in front of the library table. No longer is the building too quiet… but she is alone. Softly, she whispers to no one and everyone, but mainly to just one. "I love you, Tara."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.13**

**The Killer in Me**

Still carrying the handgun she (is that he now?) stole from the pawn shop, Warren… (No! I'm still Willow!)... storms into Buffy's backyard through the gate. "Think you can just do that to me? That I'd let you get away with it?"

Kennedy turns abruptly, staring at Willow still stuck in Warren's form, confusion visible in her eyes. "Do? Get away with…?"

At her words, Warren/Willow lifts the pistol and aims it directly at Kennedy; feeling a rush of power and satisfaction as the potential slayer starts backing up slowly.

"Okay, let's not get excited." Kennedy pleads, her eyes staring straight at Warren's… (No! Willow's eyes!)

Her words seem to have no effect, as Willow… (No, Warren. No, Willow)… walks closer to Kennedy. "It's too late for that. This is what I am. I made it happen, and I'll make it stop."

"Willow," Kennedy asks. "What did you make happen?"

"You were there, bitch! You saw it!" At Kennedy's shake of her head, Warren feels disgust at her ignorance rise up inside of her. Fine. I'll explain it to her before she dies. "I killed her."

Kennedy tilts her head to the left, her hair sliding off of her shoulder. "You mean him?"

"Her, him…" He (she?) raises the gun and points it at Kennedy again. (Why was it lowered?) "You know what I mean."

"You said her." Kennedy responds.

"No," (This is too confusing.) "That was Warren."

The potential slayer takes a step forward, closing the distance between them. "No, no it wasn't. You said I was there. Who did you kill, Willow?"

"It was your fault, slut." (Why is this happening?) "You tricked me. Wanted to get me to forget."

Kennedy nods, understanding. "You mean Tara..."

"Shut up!" Warren interrupts. (He… No. She.) She can feel the tears falling down her face. "Shut up! You do not get to say her name. Offering it up to whoever's there. Tricking me into kissing you. I d-didn't mean... what I'm saying, I-I can't make… Kennedy, I can't hold on... he's winning."

Kennedy draws even closer. "No..."

"I'm being punished. I k-kissed you just… just for a second, but it was enough. I let her go. I didn't mean to."

Kennedy was crying now, too. "Kissing me didn't mean th…"

"No." Warren let the gun drop. "She was never gone. She was with me. We should have been forever, and I… I let her be dead. She's really dead."

Kennedy reaches her hand out slowly, almost afraid to offer any comfort. "And I killed her." Warren drops to the ground, the gun completely forgotten.

The young brunette slayer kneels down next to Warren/Willow, her head shaking in the negative. "Willow, no."

Willow, trapped in Warren's visage, raises her tear-streaked face to the sky, pleading. "Please, baby, I'm so sorry. Come back. I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Come back... "

Feeling hands on her face, Willow… (Not Warren?)... as she looks deeply into Kennedy's eyes. "Willow, I don't think you did anything wrong. This is just magic. And I think I'm figuring the whole magic thing out. It's just like fairy tales."

As Kennedy brings her face closer and closer, Willow pulls back quickly. "What are you doing?"

"Bringing you back to life."

Warren… (no, definitely Willow)… closes her eyes as Kennedy draws near. Suddenly, though not unexpected, she feels the young woman's lips press against hers. Almost as if of their own will, she feels her hands reaching around the slayer-in-training, as she does the same to her.

Willow opens her eyes as she feels Kennedy draw back from the kiss, a smile on her lips. "Hmm. I am good."

Willow is almost afraid to ask. "It's… it's me?"

At the affirmative nod from the woman kneeling in front of her, Willow brings her hands up and touches her face. "I'm back? Oh, God..."

"Are you all right?" Kennedy asks as she stands, her gaze never leaving Willow's own.

"I have no idea." She accepts the offer of her hand in order to get up. "I'm so tired."

Kennedy supports Willow, slowly directing her towards the back and walks her into the house. "Yeah. I'll make you some tea."

OOOOOO

For there being so many people staying at the Casa de Summers, as Xander would call it, Willow is surprised at the privacy that she and Kennedy have currently in the kitchen. She smiles as she watches the young brunette takes the tea cup Willow had just finished and is attempting to wash it, even though there are stacks of dirty dishes and cups… not to mention all of the empty cookie containers and chip bags lying about the kitchen.

"You know…" Willow begins, only to be interrupted at Kennedy's words, even though she keeps her back to Willow.

"I could love you, ya know?"

"Love me?" Willow can feel that her eyes are ready to pop out of their sockets. "How can you honestly say that to me?"

Kennedy finally turned. "I can. I love that you loved… her."

"Tara?"

"Yeah." The young potential answered quickly. "Tara.

The red-headed witch felt that she should say something… anything to get Kennedy to understand just how foolish this was, but Kennedy was already moving closer to Willow sitting at the table, rushing headlong into whatever it is that she wants to get out.

"Like I said, I don't get the magic. But I know it's real." She paused for a breath. "But even if it wasn't real, that you are real, and that it's real to you, I'd want to know more about it. I think you're great. You're adorable and funny and a bit crazy. You like computers and books and everything else."

Willow knew that her cheeks were red, but she just couldn't pull her eyes away from Kennedy's as she continued on. "I bet you were a bookworm in school… the kind no one paid any attention to… and those same stupid kids would now fall all over themselves to have a chance to be near you."

"I can't say that I'm in love with you, Willow." Kennedy sat down across from her and put her hands on top of Willow's. "But I know that I could. That I will be able to."

"But…" Willow started to reply, but Kennedy was already shaking her head.

"No. I'm not Tara. I can never be her… and if that's what you're looking for, then I can never be that for you. But if you want something different, but maybe just as special… " Kennedy let her words trail off.

Willow just watched as Kennedy sat quietly. (How do I answer? How do you even begin to respond to an onslaught like that?)

(With the truth.)

"Okay. Well. Not really ready for that one. Kennedy." Willow began. "I'm not sure what to say…" Kennedy's face seemed to darken, as the S.I.T. opened her mouth.

Willow forestalled her being interrupted by holding up her hand, as she smiled. "I'm not saying no to this… but I have so much to deal with…" She tried to ignore the look of hopefulness that seemed to feel her eyes, lighting up her entire face. "Not to mention the big bad that's got us all running… "

Before she could really seem to understand what was happening, Willow realized that Kennedy suddenly was kissing her… and she seemed to be kissing her back.

When they finally broke the kiss, Willow smiled. "How about we try this slow…" Kennedy smiled, and Willow wondered at the lightness that she felt inside.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.14**

**First Date**

There were so many times, especially lately, that it seemed impossible to have any time for one's own self. However, as her best friend had finally explained to her, there was always a way to find alone time… which surprisingly also was often called chore time. Willow tried not to smile so much as she and Buffy sat quietly in the living room, playing at being domestic and were folding laundry.

Another added benefit of the alone time with Buffy was that she finally got to just talk to her… not like the deep, so-very-important conversations that they'd been having with all of the others around, but just two friends gossiping. And with the threat of death looming over them, it seemed just like their days back in high school. The current topic of conversation was one that had been too long absent.

"So, he asked you out to dinner?" Willow asked as she pulled a pair of socks out of the clothes basket between them and folded them, setting them in the pile to the side of the couch.

"Yeah. Isn't that weird?" Buffy answered. "I mean, he's a principal. He's a young, hot principal with earrings, but he's a Principal. Why do you think he asked me out? I mean, he could be interested, right?"

She smiled wickedly. "Yeah, sure. You're a frisky vixen."

"Or, it could be work-related. Maybe I'm getting promoted for doing such a good job."

Willow laughed at Buffy's joke, but then noticed how her friend suddenly seemed hurt. (Was she serious? Oh, no… ) "Oh, right, that… that makes sense, too."

Seemingly mollified, Buffy turned and set a folded shirt next to her in her completed load. "Or, maybe he knows that I suspect he's up to something, and he's taking me out to kill me."

Willow shrugged. "Well, you'll have to dress for the ambiguity."

"You know, it's not even that he's acting that suspicious. It's just… there he is. On the Hell Mouth. All day, every day. That's got to be like being showered with evil. Only from underneath."

"Not really a shower."

Buffy smiled. Willow caught the glint in her eye. "A bidet. Like a bidet of evil."

"Buff, if he's really interested," Willow smiled. "Are you interested back?

Willow's smile grew wider as Buffy blushed bright pink. "I don't know. He's good-looking, and he's… he's solid. He's smart, he's normal. So, not the wicked energy, which is nice 'cause I don't want to only, be attracted to wicked energy. Or what if he is wicked, in which case, is that why I'm attracted to him?

Willow shook her head at Buffy's look for an immediate response. "I'm gonna wait for that sentence to come around again before I jump on."

Buffy grinned. "You know what? Yeah, I mean I think I like him. And he'd be good for me."

Nodding, Willow continued folding laundry. "Right. Help you move on."

Willow watched as Buffy seemed to draw back from Willow, her brow pushing downward… definitely a sign that she was becoming upset. "Why does everybody in this house think I'm still in love with Spike?"

"No, I-I meant move on from this imposed super-self-reliance. Let somebody get close."

Buffy paused and seemed to calm down a bit. "Oh."

Both Willow and Buffy turned at the sound of the front door opening.

"Hey, someone's here."

Willow arched an eyebrow at Buffy. "Obvious, much?"

"What's obvious?" Xander inquired as he closed the door behind him. "Wait. Never mind. Better news. Guys, guess what happened."

Willow grinned wildly as she answered. "Buffy got a date!"

"No, I did." Xander glanced from Willow over to Buffy, frowning. "Fine. Way to steal my thunder."

The blonde slayer smiled in sympathy. "Sorry. If it makes you feel better, it's Principal Wood, and I think he's aligned with the First."

Their male friend suddenly was smiling. "Also, like ten years older than you, right?"

Willow tried to say it with a straight face, but she was sure that Buffy knew she was teasing. "Which is like a hundred years younger than your type!"

Buffy nodded and began setting the remaining clothes onto the stack of finished laundry. "Yay. Someone who doesn't remember the Industrial Revolution."

"I think they're gonna end up making out." Mockingly, Willow held a pair of socks up to her chest lovingly. "Oh, Principal Wood," she gasped. "I love your… lack of wicked energy."

Buffy at least had the decency to give a moment of warning before she threw a pair of socks at Willow. "Watch it, or I'm gonna make you talk about your new girlfriend… who you hold hands with under the dinner table and think we don't notice."

She felt herself blush at Buffy's accusation. "I do not…" (Could lightning strike?) "Well… not a lot, anyway." Realizing that Buffy's smile was only growing bigger, she quickly turned to throw the attention elsewhere.

"How 'bout yours, Xander... Is she evil?"

Xander smiled as he shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "Well, she's interested in me, so there's a good chance, but I'm hoping for the best. We're going for coffee. She has a kayak…"

All three friends paused in their conversation as the door behind Xander opened again, this time revealing Giles and the young Oriental slayer-in-training, Choa-Ahn. Both seemed laden with bags from various department stores. Willow felt her brow crease at the look of utter exhaustion on the elder British gentleman, as well as the look of concentration on the younger girl's face.

Dropping the bags in the doorway, Giles seemed to visibly regain some of his composure no longer weighed down by the brightly colored satchels of plastic and paper. "Dear lord, I hate that mall. The shop assistants are rude. And everything in the so-called food court is sticky."

Willow slowly approached, as she craned her neck to peer into the bags. "Looks like you found her some stuff."

"Oh, hello. Yes." Giles seemed to only just realize that he was not alone in the house.

"That's gotta be rough." Xander watched as Choa-Ahn moved her head back and forth as they talked, most likely not understanding a word being said. "Getting just like pulled out of your home, being told you're a potential slayer, not being able to bring anything…"

"Yes, and the language barrier is formidable. I was concerned that my Mandarin is a little thin, but as it turns out, she speaks Cantonese, which is thinner. But we muddled through, and, as I suspected, ice cream is a universal language."

At the word ice cream, Choa-Ahn began speaking very quickly… and definitely in something Chinese… Mandarin sounding. 

Buffy seemed to pay close attention to everything that the young potential was saying, smiling and nodding the entire time, while through closed teeth asked. "What'd she say?"

Giles took a moment to push his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose, while he glanced over at Buffy. "She's grateful to be in the land of plenty." He then turned back to the young Chinese girl and began speaking very slowly. "Let's, um, go and put away your new clothes."

At Giles' action of picking up the bags he had dropped on the floor, Choa-Ahn nodded brightly and started following him up the stairs with all of their purchases.

Once they were around the corner of the staircase, Buffy turned and touched Willow on the shoulder. "Hey, Will, do you think you can do a computer check on Principal Wood. See if you can find anything out."

Willow considered briefly before looking up. "Yeah, sure." Deciding to kill two birds with one arrow, she looked over at her other friend as he continued staring after Giles and the young trainee. "Want me to check your girl out while I'm at it, Xand?"

"Nope. I'm going in blind. I'm gonna be an optimist about this. Why go looking for trouble? If it's gonna find you, it's gonna find you."

OOOOO

So… how is it again that both Buffy and Xander (of all people!) are out on dates and here I am at home, playing research girl again? Willow continued typing into her laptop, trying not to get even more frustrated.

Leaning back in the dining room table chair, her arms above her head, she hoped to relax the muscles in her shoulders.

"Well?" Dawn asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah. Anything yet?" Amanda, another of the potential slayers currently residing in the house, decided to inquire.

Willow looked at each of them mutely, before swiveling her head around to look at Kennedy standing behind her… (her very own shadow, lately). Sighing softly, Willow went back to typing into the compact keyboard, hoping to get all thoughts of about the very near, almost touching/not touching, brunette behind her out of her mind.

It wasn't that she didn't feel an attraction to Kennedy. Sure. They had held hands and kissed a little bit (rather than all of the naughty-sexy-fun stuff Buffy had implied earlier), but every time they came close to moving closer… the thought of Tara… of Willow betraying what she and Tara had, exploded into full bloom in her mind… and effectively killed off any type of mood that might have been there. So far, Kennedy had been patient and understanding, but Willow doubted that was going to last much longer.

"Seriously? Nothing? No records or certificates? College transcripts?" Willow tried to ignore that Dawn's voice had ended much higher than it had begun.

Amanda took that moment to glance over Willow's shoulder to get her own view of the computer screen. "Looks like the only stuff in the system about Principal Robin Wood is super-recent. Like, since he moved to Sunnydale."

Willow sighed again, this time aloud. "I've Googled 'til I just can't Google no more. He's not in there."

"Well, that's suspicious." Kennedy added.

Willow intentionally avoided looking up at the young trainee, not able to face any look of hopefulness that might be there… but also afraid of how she'd feel if it wasn't there.

It looked like dawn was about to ask another question as she leaned over towards the laptop, when suddenly Anya stormed into the room, waving a handful of papers around. She was definitely upset. Willow began to ask her what was wrong now, when Giles came after her, a strange look on his face.

She was definitely intrigued as Giles reached for the papers, his tone admonishing. "Anya, calm down. They're educational…"

She knew her face showed how confused she felt as Anya suddenly thrust the papers into her hand. Throwing a questioning look at Giles, Willow glanced down at the pages she now held. "What's this?" Although she didn't really need an answer once she saw what was on the paper.

On each of the different pages, crude stick-figure drawings in black and red marker were depicted. The first one had the word "Bringer" on it. "Vampire" was on another, and "The Slayer" (Buffy would kill him is she saw this. It was worse than his slideshow drawing of her.) was on yet another one, as well. She kept flipping through the pages, each picture… no matter how poorly drawn… becoming worse and worse, finally culminating in a gruesome, bloody mess as a creature is drawn killing someone or something.

"Giles made them for Chao-Ahn, and now she's locked herself in the bathroom. There's other girls upstairs, and they're starting to complain." Anya spoke, interrupting Willow's thoughts.

"Those are flashcards." Giles answered, his voice suspiciously guilty. "I-I made them to facilitate her training. Chao-Ahn never had a Watcher. The language problem…"

(What?) "You showed her these?" Willow asked.

"Yes. I wanted her to understand the seriousness of her situation."

"Holy crap!" Willow turned to see Dawn looking down at the drawings.

She watched quietly as Dawn reached out for one of the drawings and held it up. It was labeled "Turok-Han" and showed the uber-vamp standing over a girl that had been ripped in half along her waistline, spilling a huge pool of blood everywhere.

Willow felt herself glaring at Giles, matching the look that Dawn, Anya and the others were all giving him at once. He looked at all of them before dropping his head in defeat. "Perhaps I'll rethink the approach."

Willow started to drop the pages on the table, but suddenly thought better of it. "Dawn, burn these." As Dawn took the papers out of her hand, she turned and looked over at Buffy's Watcher. "In the meanwhile, wanna help us get researchy? We're trying to invade Buffy's date's privacy."

Giles looked up, bewilderment written all over his face. "Buffy has a date?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "Yes... Didn't you hear? Everybody has a date. Buffy has a date. Willow's been completely making out with this girl…"

Kennedy took a step forward. "Hey!"

Anya totally ignored her. "Xander's out with some hardware-store-whore. It's Date Fest 2003."

Willow watched as the former vengeance demon sat down, pouting. Willow just shook her head and looked over at Giles. "Actually, Buffy's investigating Principal Wood. It's not a date."

"Really." It didn't sound like he believed her.

"Might be a date." She conceded.

Giles took his glasses off as he began pacing back and forth. "For God's sake! How can anyone think about their social life? We are about to fight the original primal evil. These girls are in mortal danger." Pointing at the papers Dawn was still clutching, he turned and faced the rest of the room. "Didn't you see the flashcards? This isn't right."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.15**

**Get It Done**

The house was trashed. (Again.) How did insurance companies stay afloat in Sunnydale? Between all of the damage they used to do at the school… not to mention all of the headstones knocked over and mausoleums broken into, and let's not forget houses on fire… and everything else… insurance seemed like the worst field to go into.

The red-headed witch shook her head and remained on her course of action. She needed to see how Kennedy was holding up. They had been getting closer and closer, as of late, but after what happened during the spell to get Buffy back from wherever she had gone, things seemed… awkward.

Extremely awkward.

Making her way up the stairs, she spotted Kennedy moving down the hallway towards the slumber room where most of the other potentials all bunked when they weren't getting into everything else. Willow moved quickly to catch up to the lovely young woman and paused as she came up right behind her. She began to reach out, when she let her hand drop.

"Hey. You okay?" Willow asked, afraid of the answer. "You've been kinda quiet since..."

"You sucked the life out of me?"

(This was definitely not going to go well.) Willow nodded. "Yeah, since then. Look, it's important that you know what I am, what I'm like when I'm like that."

Kennedy tilted her head and looked sorrowfully at her. "I thought it would be... I don't know…cool, somehow. It just hurt."

"I'm really sorry. It's just, you were the most powerful person nearby, and… well, that's… that's how it works. That's how I work."

Kennedy smiled, though it never reached her eyes. "I got that. You told me." The S.I.T. took a deep breath and then moved to the slumber room. "I'll see you in the morning."

Willow said nothing as she watched Kennedy enter the room and then close the door.

OOOOO

(It's for the best. I love Tara. Kennedy's great, but this isn't the time for a relationship, for any type of anything. Xander was almost eaten by another girlfriend… Principal Wood is… well, nevermind. I don't need to get involved with someone else.)

Willow bypassed the doorway into her room and opened the door to Buffy's room. She smiled as she saw that Buffy' was still awake, sitting on her bed. Willow felt her own face frown as she noticed how the blonde slayer was curled up, looking introspective and worried.

"How you doing?"

Buffy looked over at her and smiled. "Thanks for bringing me back. Again."

Willow made her way over to the bed. "Well, that's what I do."

As she sat on the edge of the bed, Buffy twisted around to face her. "I was hard on you guys today."

"Aw, it's all right. You needed to be. Although, Twinkies and kisses… also peachy motivational tools. You okay?"

Buffy shook her head. "I think I made a mistake."

"What?"

"Those men that I met… you know, the shadow men?" At Willow's nod, Buffy continued. "They offered me more power, but I didn't like the loophole."

"So, you turned it down? It's OK, Buffy. We'll get by. We always do."

"I don't know. They showed me..."

The witch was slowly becoming concerned. She had seen her friend in some of her lowest points. The death of Angel. Angels subsequent return… only to then leave her. Mrs. Summers dying. Her own resurrection from Heaven. Riley leaving. But something in Buffy's eyes made Willow cold. Buffy looked afraid.

"Showed you what?" She couldn't help but ask.

"That the First Slayer was right…" Buffy finally said. "It isn't enough."

"Why, Buffy? What did you see? What did they show you?"

At Buffy's nod and leaning her head over to Willow, the witch reached out and allowed the telepathy spell to activate, letting her to reach into her best friend's memories. The old instinct to manipulate was still there, but instead, she only looked at what was offered. And what she saw was…

(No!)

Willow recoiled from the slayer… her best friend. When she looked up, she saw no recriminations from Buffy, but only a equal understanding of the horror that awaited them.

OOOOOO

It had been years, it seemed, since she and Buffy had shared the same bed. Not since their days in high school, she thought. Sure, they'd been roommates in college, but that was before Tara… before being gay… before Joyce had died. Before everything. Willow knew that the reason wasn't because Buffy didn't feel comfortable lying next to someone that was a lesbian.

But tonight, Willow thought quietly, it wouldn't have mattered. Tonight, they slept together, hoping that the darkness wouldn't come out from under the bed to get them.

Together, they were two of the most powerful humans on the face of the Earth. A slayer that had lived longer than any other, had saved the world more times than any previously known of… and a witch that had access to the magicks and powers undreamt of, that had once threatened all of creation with the depths of her loathing and despair…. None of that mattered tonight, however, as the two women cuddled together with the lights on. Each awake, neither knowing if they'd actually get any sleep tonight… or any night… and each had the memory of Buffy's vision burned into their mind's eye.

Somewhere… no… not somewhere. Under the city of Sunnydale, deep in the bowels of the Hell Mouth, Willow could see thousands upon thousands of Turok-Han, all carrying weapons and armor, forming an army… ready to do the bidding of the First Evil.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.18-A **

**Upon a Star**

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I am unable to figure out exactly where in the seventh season that Mr. Whedon would have put this in, or what episode he would have put it with, I chose between "Dirty Girls" and "Empty Places." I wanted Faith to be involved, especially with the idea her helping bridge what was happening in AtS to BtVS… which, to me, led to some of the fun._

OOOOOO

"Check out these shoes, Buffy." Willow called out from in front of the store window. When her friend didn't immediately materialize next to her, she turned to glance across the mall to see if she could see the slayer anywhere. Nope. No slayer.

The mall was not nearly as crowded as it normally was, even for a school night… and that bothered her. What bothered her even more were that nearly half of the stores were closed, out of business, and the rest all seemed to be having clearance sales and going out of business sales. At this rate, there'd be nothing left to do in this joke of a city but kill demons… and if you couldn't shop afterwards, what was the point?

(Oh, God. Did I just sound like Cordelia?)

"Will? Willow?" Buffy's voice suddenly was beside her. "Are you okay?"

Willow looked over to see her friend staring intently at her, concern painted all over her expression. "Yeah. Had a bad moment there."

"Oh." Buffy smiled. "Everything 'kay now?"

"Absolutely." Willow smiled. "Ooohhh! Wait. Check out these shoes."

At her urging, Buffy turned and glanced through the boarded window of the store. "Wow. Nice. But that store's closed, Will."

"Yeah… bu-but they're shiny and black and would look fabulous…"

"On me." Buffy interrupted. "Yeah, but they're unobtainable."

Willow gave Buffy her serious face. "Not you. Me. They'd look good on me."

Buffy smiled. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say. Let's get to some shopping while the shopping is good…"

OOOOOO

The commotion coming from the front room was enough to attract all of the Bringers that were within a two hundred mile radius. (What in the world could be going on?)

Willow was coming up from the basement, having been sorting through yet more laundry and trying to get everything… Hell, anything… in some type of semblance of order. She hadn't realized that she'd been down there that long, but the ruckus hadn't been happening when she'd gone down there earlier, so sorting clothes had apparently taken more of her day than she'd originally thought.

"Not gonna happen." Willow heard Faith's voice from the living room. There were other voices, apparently a lot of people were involved in whatever was goin' on, but Faith had risen over the rest in order to be heard.

She heard someone say something… (male… Xander or Giles? Or Spoke, maybe?)... and then Faith was talking again. "As crazy as it is, you're not the only one with a doom world thing to deal with. Bringin' 'em here will only cause more problems."

"I think I understand bein' on the side of good more than you…" (That sounded like Buffy.)

"Fine. Whatever. But you can't pull him out of LA."

"And just why not?" Now that was definitely Buffy's voice. (Were they at it again already?)

As she drew closer, the voices of everyone involved suddenly start to separate. Giles was talking now. "… nd there's no way we can let you do this. Not now. Not when we don't have any idea of what it might be."

"It's not your choice." Buffy shot back.

Willow finally entered into the leaving room to find pandemonium. Everyone was talking, gesturing wildly to be heard. She felt her heart go out to many of the trainees, each sitting over in a corner, seemingly attempting (vainly, she might add) to get out of the line of fire. The center of the room had Buffy facing off against… well… everyone.

Giles and Faith seemed to hold the front line facing off against the slayer, but Dawn, Robin, Xander and… Spike (Spike? Why was Spike taking sides against Buffy?) were each there acting as back up. Surprisingly, it was Anya that seemed to lean more towards Buffy's side, rather than joining the gang-up-on-Buffy bandwagon that seemed to be going on.

"B… listen to reason. You can't think that you can seriously…"

"Seriously what, Faith? Seriously consider this chance? Consider what I could bring back with this?" Buffy turned and glanced around her, taking in the entire room as she spoke. "This was given to me. Not anyone else. And it was to be for my heart's desire. My heart."

Willow was now definitely confused. (Heart's Desire?)

"And this is what you would wish for?" Giles spoke, his accent getting worse the madder he got.

"Like, that's a bloody stupid question." Spike spoke, the sarcasm thick. "She'll always want the ponsey-boy back… Back in Sunnydale, lover's bloody united."

Buffy actually seemed hurt at the vampire's words. "No."

"What about Mom?" Dawn spoke. The whole room went quiet at the enormity of the question. No one seemed

"Uhm. Excuse me." Willow spoke into the momentary silence, her hand raised above her head. "Late to the argument. What's going on?"

OOOOOO

"And that's what happened before you got there. The rest you saw." Rona sneered as she leaned back into the cushions of the couch, as Kennedy, Shannon, Colleen and Dominique all watched. Willow sat very still as she attempted to process everything. Buffy had apparently received a wish… a Heart's Desire wish, to be exact, which was causing all of the uproar.

Spike was off sulking because he believed that Buffy was gonna use the wish to bring Angel back to her with a permanent soul. Dawn was now crying, the possibility of her mom being brought back. Faith was bitching about where the wish came from… (What's the old saying, _beware demons bearing gifts)_… Giles was flipping out about all that could be accomplished with the possibility. Anya was the only one taking it all in stride, as she knew of this type of wish being bestowed, and she claimed it was all on the up-and-up.

"So…" (Oh, boy.) "Just so we're all on the same page. Buffy saved a demon's family." As everyone nodded, Willow continued. "In payment of her kindness, the matriarch of this demon-y line gave her their most valued treasure-thing… and in this case, it was a single wish?"

"Yep." Colleen confirmed.

Willow wanted to pull her hair out. "And there's no limit to the wish?"

"Of course there's a limit, silly." Anya's voice came from behind her. All five potentials, as well as Willow, turned their attention to the doorway, where the ex-demon was standing. Willow couldn't help but notice how tired she looked.

"What limits, then?" Kennedy asked.

"Can we not just wish the First away?" Shannon asked, her voice sounding small and scared.

Anya was already shaking her head before Willow even had her chance to speak. "They can't change the outcome."

(Well. That was cryptic.)

"The outcome?" Willow asked.

Anya moved further into the room, as she started gesticulating with her hands… a habit, Willow had noticed, when she became nervous.

"D'Hoffryn used to talk about the 'no consequences' wishes." Willow didn't feel the need to educate the girls on exactly who Anya was talking about. "About how they made things too easy for humans. That's why that type of wish can't change the overall destiny of what's going to happen."

"But… how's that a heart's desire?" Collen asked. Dominique was nodding.

"Heart's desires are often fleeting, changing. Never the same from one moment to the next." Anya leaned forward onto the back of the couch, forcing Willow to turn her whole body to keep her in view. "And even if it was something constant, which I can't imagine anyone here being able to do, once you get your heart's desire, are you ever satisfied with it?"

"So… her mother? Mrs. Summers?" Kennedy asked.

"Sure. Her mother would be easy." Anya looked at each of the trainees in turn. "She'd come back, but then either die against the First or be killed later on. No destiny changed, no outcome interfered with."

"Angel?" Willow had to know.

She watched as Anya shrugged. "Him I'm not so sure about. The soul thing might work… but not changing him human. And as for coming back here? It might. You'd really need an oracle to understand what could be asked for and granted."

Willow twisted back around to look at the girls. Each of them seemed more thoughtful after listening to Anya, but several… Rona especially, seemed unsatisfied.

"Guys," Willow started. "It's her wish… Buffy's. That means its gonna be her decision."

"But that's not fair…" Rona whined.

Willow smiled sadly as she looked at the black slayer. "Who said anything about fair?"

OOOOOO

"I don't understand." Kennedy nearly shouted.

Willow held up her hands to try to indicate she should lower her voice. Kennedy just glared and sat down on the edge of Willow's bed.

"Listen," Willow began. "I know that you think…"

"What I think? What I am thinking right now?" Kennedy stood abruptly. "How could you know anything like that? You won't open up to me… let me get close."

"Kennedy…"

"No." The young slayer-in-training wouldn't give her a chance to respond. "You take her side. Buffy's side. No matter that her wish could do some real good. Help us out. Protect us. No. She talks about lost love and old boyfriends and her-her mother."

"It's her wish."

"Yeah? Well her wishes suck."

Willow reached over to offer whatever comfort she could, but Kennedy just pulled away. (Again.) "And I think I love you, but you don't love me. Sure. We kiss. We hold hands. Pet a little." Willow blushed. "But nothing is there for you towards me. Nothing but memories for you."

(Ah. Willow had wondered when she'd bring this up again.) "I told you we'd have to go slow."

"Forget slow. Forget everything." Kennedy went to the door, throwing it open hard enough that many of the things Willow had in the room shook and tilted, some threatening to fall and break. "You decide what it is you want... Me? I'll just go be another potential waiting to die. Wait for Buffy to come back with another vampire with a soul… like the one we got isn't enough."

Willow wanted to stop her as Kennedy flung herself out into the hallway. (Was she right? Was she ignoring something real for something gone?) By the time Willow decided to talk more with the brunette, to seriously consider what she was feeling, the hallway was empty and Kennedy June Franklin was gone.

OOOOOO

Willow crossed the room and glanced at the clock for probably the thousandth time. It was nearing 4:00 PM. She just couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. She considered going out in the back yard to watch as the other girls continued practicing, but that would only lead to another confrontation with Kennedy… and that was something she was so not looking forward to going through again this lifetime, much less while something so important was going on.

The sound of footsteps brought Willow's attention back to the present as she quickly moved out of her bedroom and into the hallway. Sure enough, Buffy was slowly making her way up the stairs. Willow looked past her to the first floor, but there was no one there.

(No Angel.)

(No Joyce.)

"Buffy?" Willow asked, her voice thick with worry.

"Buffy turned and looked at Willow; her eyes alight with what the powerful witch immediately recognized as spent magick. (She had definitely used the wish.) "Hey, Will. What are you… ?"

"The wish." She interrupted. "Did you use it? Wha-what did…?"

"Oh. That." Buffy's expression brightened considerably. Willow arched her eyebrow in question when Buffy didn't offer anything more.

"And?"

"Anya was right. Heart's Desires for me are fleeting. Mom… but is that the right thing to do? And Angel… he has his own life now, plus there's Spike, which is weird. And how do you pick one friend over another…"

Willow nodded. So many of the things Kennedy had said in the argument earlier, Buffy now echoed. "So… what'd you do?"

"Look at these shoes I got!" Buffy exclaimed happily.

"Wha?"

"My new shoes. Check'em out!"

"What?" Willow increduously glanced down at Buffy's feet. Sure enough, the black ankle boots that both she and Buffy had _oohed_ and _ahhed_ over at the Mall yesterday were on her feet.

Buffy started speaking again, drawing Willow's gaze back up to her friend's face. "I got these really awesome shoes. I wanted them, and now I have them."

The young witch just couldn't process the information. (A wish that could offer your heart's desire, and she used it for this? The fight of their lives… maybe the world's life… was coming up… and she wasted a wish like this?) "You… used… the wish… for shoes?"

Buffy's expression became what Willow could only define as mischievous as she seemed to carefully weigh her words. "Of course not, you idiot." And with that, Buffy turned and started walking back down the stairs.

Willow stood there dumbfounded. What was going on? She was definitely confused. Feeling that she might better go apologize, Willow turned to close her bedroom door and gasped in surprise to find a figure standing in the doorway, smiling brightly.

"You should apologize, you know. Of all the things to wish for, her Heart's Desire was that she wanted your happiness and your Heart's Desire the most." Tara grinned, her eyes dancing with laughter and love. "Well… and mine, too."

(It was Tara. Thank you, gods… Buffy… everyone. Thank you.) Tara just stood there, smiling. "Definitely need to apologize. Cookies, maybe."

Willow fell into the other witch, tears blurring her vision. "I promise. Later. Oh, God… please, later."

"Later." Tara agreed as she pulled Willow back into the bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.19**

**Empty Places**

Willow glanced about the room from her vantage on the sofa, realizing that everyone looked as haggard as she felt, right now. The emotion turmoil of the past few days had been a roller coaster like nothing she'd ever experienced before. She smiled over at Tara (Gods, thank you. Her Tara was back!), never wanting to stop looking at her. Everyone that was left was in the room… all but Spike and Andrew, who were off on some super secret mission.

Once again, Willow's gaze was pulled from Tara to look at the friend she'd know the longest in her life: Xander. He was back from the hospital, but his face was so pale… and his eye, his beautiful eye, was gone forever… a casualty in this ongoing war. Xander was sitting in the overstuffed chair, with Dawn sitting beside him on the arm of the chair.

Almost with a will of their own, Willow felt her eyes move involuntarily towards Kennedy, sitting across from Willow and Tara on the floor. She was pointedly not looking anywhere near where Willow sat, where she was holding hands with Tara. That meeting… Tara and Kennedy… had gone better than Willow had expected, but had still been severely bad.

_("So… you got her back, huh?" Kennedy had near spat at Willow. "Guess that's why you held off from committing to me… knew old girlfriend was coming back."_

"_It wasn't like that…" Willow had begun._

_Tara had taken the moment to smile at Willow, before turning to Kennedy. "No one had any idea about this… about me coming back."_

"_Just shut up. Shut up." Kennedy had broken down at that point, tears rolling down her face while both she and Tara had tried to comfort the young potential. "I just love-loved you."_

_Tara had looked and met Willow's eyes at Kennedy's admission. Willow could only smile sadly at her returned lover, at the bittersweet victory of her being back against the heartbreak of the girl sitting between them._

"_We'll figure something out." Tara spoke softly into Kennedy's hair, though her words were for Willow. "Somehow, we can find a way."_

_Willow nodded silently.)_

Her attention was pulled from the past as Tara lightly tapped her on the shoulder. Buffy was standing in the center of the living room, looking to be back in speech mode again. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but I had a visit at the school today from Caleb."

(Oh, no!) Before Willow could say anything, Dawn spoke up, suddenly alert. "Buffy, why didn't you…"

Buffy interjected quickly. "I'm fine." She shrugged. "I mean, it wasn't fun, but I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I-I figured something out. He kept making all this noise about the school."

Robin Wood spoke up. "Is it that seal again?"

Willow squeezed Tara's hand. "Do we need to try shutting it again?"

"No, that's just it. We've spent all this time worrying about the seal and the Hell Mouth." Buffy paused dramatically. "Why isn't Caleb guarding them? Why doesn't he have someone there protecting it? Why is he camped out at the vineyard? The bad guys always go where the power is. So if the seal was so important to Caleb and the First, they would be there right now. They're protecting the vineyard or something at the vineyard. I say it's their power, and I say it's time we go in and take it away from them."

At her words, Willow felt her breath catch on her throat. Xander shook his head and looked down. Giles uncrossed his arms and sighed.

Faith, on the other hand, stepped up to stand next to Robin, and crossed her arms. "Or, in the alternative, how 'bout... we don't?" Faith looked about the room before setting her gaze back at Buffy. "I mean, it's a neat theory, B, but I'm not going back in that place, not without proof, and neither should you and neither should they."

Buffy shook her head. "I'm not saying it's gonna be easy."

Robin cleared his throat. "I think Faith had the floor."

Faith negligently glanced at the high school principal before continuing. "Maybe it ends okay the way you wanna play it, but maybe it doesn't. And right now, I don't think I want you playin' the odds."

"Did you come here to fight?" Buffy challenged.

"Listen, we're fighters, all of us, but you gotta give me something to fight, something real, not…"

"Windmills." Giles said silently, though it seemed to fill the room. He glanced at Buffy, his face unapologetic.

"There is something there."

"Maybe." Giles replied. "But we can't be sure of that. This is a hell of a lot to ask."

"Too much." Robin quickly added.

Willow watched as Buffy realized that she was in trouble. Buffy was grinning nervously, looking around for support. "I… I don't understand this. For seven years, I've kept us safe by doing this… exactly this, making the hard decisions. And now, what… suddenly you're all acting like you can't trust me?"

Giles now looked sad. "Didn't you say to me today you can't trust us? Maybe there's something there that should be addressed."

Buffy glared accusingly at her former watcher. "Is that why you sent Spike away, to ambush me?"

Giles rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, come on."

Rona suddenly stood up from the floor. "You know what? I am sick of your deal with this Spike guy. This isn't about him. This is about you. You're being reckless."

Willow watched as her friend stepped back from the onslaught. "What?"

Rona persisted. "You are! I don't even know you, and I can tell! You are so obsessed with beating Caleb, you are willing to jump into any plan without thinking."

Buffy visibly grit her teeth as she answered, clearly getting upset. "That's not what I'm doing."

Kennedy stood to join Rona, and then walked up to Buffy. "Well, that's how it feels to us. People are dying."

Tara squeezed Willow's hand. Glancing over at her, Willow then stood and approached Buffy and Kennedy. "Kennedy..."

The young trainee immediately turned and snapped at her. "Why are you always standing up for her? Just because she brought back your old girlfriend… you can't see what's happening. How can you keep defending her?"

Willow shook her head sadly. (Can I do this?) "I'm not."

Buffy turned to her then, surprised to say the least. "What do you mean, you're not?"

Willow tried to speak, to open her mouth and to say the words, but she just couldn't. It was Tara that suddenly there, expressing the words that needed to be said. "W-with everything tha-that's h-happened, I… we're worried a-about your judgment."

Willow wondered at the shock that filled Buffy's eyes. That Tara… the result of a wish granted… could so quickly side against her. Willow shook her head in grief as Buffy looked around, a deer in the headlights. "Look, I wish this could be a democracy. I really do. Democracies don't win battles.

Movement caught Willow's eye. She turned to see Xander look away as Buffy continued. "It's a hard truth, but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you."

Anya spoke up then, her voice calm. "And it's automatically you. You really do think you're better than we are?"

Willow watched as Tara tried to step in-between the two women, maybe to possibly calm the situation, but neither paid her any attention and spoke right over her.

"No, I…" Buffy began, but Anya spoke right over her.

"But we don't know. We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy."

"I… " Buffy tried again, to no avail.

"But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So, that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."

Buffy finally was able to answer. "I've gotten us this far."

"But not without a price." Xander finally spoke.

"Xander…"

"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff... but I guess it must be a little bit to my left..." He shook his head sadly. "'Cause I just don't."

"Look, I'm willing to talk strategy, okay, I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down, but this is the plan. We have to be together on this or we will fail again."

Giles responded first. "We are clearly demonstrating that we are not together on this!"

Willow turned and watched as Tara pulled away from Willow… from the group, and started moving towards the stairs. "I c-can't be a-a part of this…"

Buffy ignored Tara's exit and tried once again to take control of the meeting. "Which is why you have to fall in line! I'm still in charge here."

"Why is that, exactly?"

Willow was uncertain as to who asked the question, as she just looked at her friend in sympathy, as she turned to go after Tara. She glanced briefly at the rest of the room, seeing how everyone was so pitted against Buffy… so many friends and family.

As she finally reached the stairs, she heard Buffy's words before she was out of the argument. "Because I'm the slayer…"

Willow sighed as she turned the corner at the top of the stairs. Tara was sitting outside the door to her room… their room, now… crying.

"Baby…" Willow moved quickly, kneeling down next to the love of her life. "Are you okay?"

"No." Tara finally spat out, the tears heavier and falling much faster. "S-she gave so much for m-me… for us. And is, is trying so hard. And we jus-just turned our backs on h-her."

She looked up into Willow's eyes, her own so red-rimmed and sad. Willow didn't know what to say, how to comfort her. "But, we have to get her to understand…"

Tara started shaking her head. "D-don't you see? What ha-happens now? Buffy won't listen… won't step aside to listen to anyone else or t-take o-order. She'll leave… I betrayed the gift she's g-given us."

"What is it you want me to do, huh?" Willow asked softly.

"You've got to make them see…"

"See? Who see?"

Tara flung her hand towards the stairs. "Downstairs. A-all of them…" She wiped at her nose. "They c-c-can't drive her away. She has to stay."

"Buffy wouldn't leave us?"

"We'll lose… l-lose without her." Tara stammered. "This is w-what the First w-wants."

The red-headed witch stared at the brunette witch, knowing her eyes were growing wider as she could see how what Tara was saying happen. Everyone downstairs was scared and upset and looking for someone to blame… and a captain always went down with the ship. And without Buffy… everyone would start to implode. (Why listen to anyone when you could just gang up and vote them out?)

She looked back at Tara just as the other woman started to speak. "You've got to stop it. M-make them stop. Make them understand."

Willow nodded as Tara seemed to literally push her away. Willow stumbled before she was able to regain her equilibrium and move towards the stairs. She near stumbled down the stairway.

When she came to the bottom of the stairs, she turned into the living room… but the action was apparently over. The redhead looked into the faces of her friends, seeing the guilt on each one like a mask at Halloween. There had apparently been more to the argument than just who was going to lead, as Dawn sat alone where Willow and Tara had been sitting earlier. Dawn was glaring over towards Kennedy and Rona.

The room turned and looked at Willow, though nobody said anything. Then, everyone's attention moved to the front door, as someone was coming in from the night. Willow turned and watched as Faith came back in the front door, her face near unreadable.

"What happened?" Willow asked, her voice hoarse with unshed emotion… knowing the answer, though desperately afraid to hear it spoken aloud.

Faith just looked at her. She said nothing until she stepped further into the living room. "Buffy's gone." And with that, Faith turned and walked down the short hallway into the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.20**

**Touched**

Willow walked into her room looking at a map. With all that had happened lately, the ability to have a private room had gone out the window… though just being near Tara was enough to help keep the bad dreams away.

She hated that Spike was gone now, too. He and Andrew had shown up earlier in the evening… and once Spike had learned that Buffy was gone, he'd nearly come to blows with Giles, and did come to blows with Faith. Willow was just glad that she'd been able to catch him before he'd left for good… had offered him some words of encouragement in finding Buffy. But there was no time for that, now. The war was about to begin.

"Okay, guys." Willow started as she entered her room, not even bothering to look up. "Giles said Faith wants us to start early in the morning, so…"

Finally looking up, the powerful witch realized that the room was noticeably missing the near platoon of potentials that had moved in over the past night or so. Looking around, Willow realized that the room was empty but for her and Tara… and Kennedy.

"Uh. What happened to the girls?" Willow asked, suddenly nervous.

Kennedy looked over at Tara, who was leaned up against the dresser. Both women were wearing near identical robes… most likely both stolen from one of the nearby inns. "Looks like there's only us three here."

Willow wasn't sure what was going on. "What about the other ones with their sleeping bags and their headgear and their snoring?" Looking about the room again, Willow smiled. "They're not here, are they?"

Kennedy smiled. "Nope."

Tara grinned at Willow's expression. "Just us."

Willow quietly shut the door behind her. "Well, that's nice." (What was she doing?)

Kennedy leaned back on the bed, the movement revealing that not very much in the way of clothing was under the robe. "Why don't you sit?"

"Nu uh." Willow shook her head and pressed her back to the door. Very nervous. "What's going on?"

Tara moved away from the dresser and sat down next to Kennedy on the bed. From the way the robe moved upwards as she settled herself comfortably, Willow could tell that apparently both women were very much under clothed beneath the terry cloth bathrobes.

(I do believe that I am overdressed.) Could someone be more nervous?

Tara smiled devilishly, helping alleviate some of Willow's worry, though not anywhere near all of it. "Come to bed. We wanna… talk."

"Talk?" Willow almost barked in laughter.

This was like one of those articles in the magazines that Xander used to keep under his bed… well… still kept under his bed. (Would she have her gay card revoked if she questioned what was going on?)

"'Bout what?"

Both Kennedy and Tara moved off of the bed and moved closer to Willow. Trapped (trapped?) as she was, Willow could do nothing as each grabbed one of her wrists and pulled her towards the bed. As the two reached the edge of the mattress, each moved up onto the bed, pulling Willow… no option given… on with them.

"Okay…" Willow looked from one to the other. "So…"

Kennedy was suddenly there, kissing her. She was good at that (the suddenly being there part, though the kissing was nice, too). Willow enjoyed the kiss, but Tara was there. Willow pulled back, just as Tara leaned forward, kissing Willow.

(Definitely one of Xander's magazines!)

As Tara pulled back from the kiss, she grinned and knew just what to say to break the ice. "Nice... and very necessary.

Moving slowly, carefully, Kennedy put her arm around Willow's waist, pulling her towards the pillows on the bed. "Come here, you." Willow allowed herself to be surrounded on both sides, Kennedy on one side with Tara on the other… all three of them on the bed. (If Grandma Rosenberg could see her now…)

Willow was letting these two lovely women each take turns kissing her, holding her, touching her… until Tara finally pulled back, her eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Willow leaned up on her elbows. "No. No, I just, uh, guess I'm a little scared."

"It's probably stupid to ask why, huh?" Kennedy smiled sadly. "Death, war, apocalypse."

Willow was already shaking her head in the negative. "Not like that…. Well, yeah, that, too. But I don't understand…" She gestured at all three of them. "This."

Tara smiled, that special smile again. "You've been so busy… with Faith and Mr. Giles… and with everything. Kennedy and I talked… and we found that we each love…"

Willow sat up quickly. "You two aren't in love, are you?"

Kennedy laughed, as Tara blushed brightly. "Yes. But we're both in love with you. And we wanted to show you…"

"So…" Willow was flabbergasted. (Both? In love with her?) "We just all hop into bed and get to the big sex? Just one big pile of lesbians in the bed?"

Tara leaned forward then, and Willow could see the real love and concern deep in her eyes. "No. We just wanted to be with you…"

"No sex, then?" Willow asked, not sure if she which way she wanted the answer to go.

"What's wrong?" Kennedy asked.

"Me. I'm just scared that if we... and then I'll... and then..."

Kennedy and Tara shared a look. "And then?" Kennedy chuckled while Tara began playing with Willow's hair. "Isn't that the good part?"

"Good. Yeah, g-good feeling, but also..."

"The three of us?" Tara asked.

Willow sighed. (She was spoiling this.) "Yes. No. I'm not sure. What happens tomorrow?"

Tara touched Willow's face, then moved her hand to allow her fingers to intertwine with Willow's. "We deal with tomorrow tomorrow."

Kennedy was nodding. "I know what each of you means to one another… back from the dead and all." She smiled apologetically at Tara. "But I want this chance… to love you… even both of you."

Willow felt tears in her eyes. "And what if I fail?"

"At love?" Tara asked. "Not possible."

Kennedy's eyes narrowed. "Or do you mean the bad stuff, like unrestrained moaning and screaming with joy?"

Willow turned to face Kennedy. "Yes. Well, sort of. The unrestrained part. But I've just… I've kind of been in this space where I should be restrained. I've been controlling myself and I… if I lose that control, let myself go, I could just go."

"Hmmm..." Kennedy stroked Willow's cheek, as Tara leaned close. "You worried you're gonna turn into big bad Willow?"

"It's not stupid." Willow argued, her eyes guiltily turning back to Kennedy. "When we first kissed, I turned into...Warren."

Willow was thankful that Tara didn't turn away in that moment, didn't judge. The look in her eyes was full of love and compassion… with magick.

"It's not stupid, but it's not gonna happen." Tara said fiercely. "I… no, we just want you to know you're safe with us. Both of us."

"Yeah?"

The young slayer potential smiled. "You can float around, and I'll tether you down."

Willow suddenly smiled at the picture in her head. "You'll be like… like my kite string?"

Tara laughed. "Mm-hmm. You'll be a kite, and we'll be your kite strings, okay?"

Willow took a deep breath before she nodded. "Okay."

"Okay." Kennedy replied. She then leaned forward and kissed Willow.

As they broke apart, Tara was there. "Okay. Mmmmm... come here." And then they kissed.

Willow smiled into the kiss, her arms reaching out for the two that loved her… it was going to be a long night, she happily thought… (looks like at least three would be tired in the morning.)

OOOOO

Willow had to hide a smile as Kennedy's head started to droop down to her chest again… maybe for the fifth time this morning. She agreed, reluctantly, that it was way too early to be up, but there were things that needed to be done. Looking around, she saw that Tara was her normal bright and cheerful self… (ugh. A morning person.)

She tried not to dwell on Tara's response this morning about how she'd become such an early riser. Cuddling between Kennedy and Willow, Tara had softly replied that she'd slept nearly half a year… plenty long enough, and didn't want to miss anything else. It had been enough to bring another round of kisses that had been rudely interrupted when Xander had knocked on her door this morning.

Dawn and Xander both sat at the other end of the couch, though Dawn kept making pointing motions and giggling at Kennedy's obvious exhaustion. Giles stood quietly off to the side reading another codex or something.

"Kennedy." Tara lightly nudged the S.I..T. on the shoulder. "Kennedy. You need to start getting ready. Finally, to Willow's amusement. The brunette trainee finally popped her eyes open and grinned sheepishly.

Ignoring the looks from the others, Kennedy stood out of the chair and hugged Tara, both of their faces beaming. She then moved over to kiss Willow on the cheek. "See you later."

"Be careful." Willow smiled back at her.

Both Tara and Willow watched as Kennedy joined the other trainees and started looking over the different selections of weapons available. All three had had to fend off the questioning gazes of the others all morning, Dawn especially. Before anyone could ask anything, however, Faith decided to make take that moment to enter into the kitchen, her face determined.

"I need you five to suss out the situation on B." Faith paused as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't want you talking to her or getting in her way or, for that matter, letting her know you're there. Just do a little recon."

Robin had entered in after the slayer in charge. "Where do you want me, Faith?"

"By your phone. I'll call you when I need you."

"What are we looking for?" Dawn asked. "I mean, is there some reason we should spy on Buffy?"

Faith shrugged again. Willow felt sure that she was hiding something. "We're just making sure she's okay. Those of you who are coming with me to the arsenal, you know who you are. Everybody ready?"

Nobody said anything, which Faith apparently took for agreement. "Let's do this thing." Faith made for the front door, the all of the potentials quickly following after her.

Willow wanted to call them back… to make them wait, but wait on what? She just felt that everything was going wrong.

"Well," Tara said into the silence. "Faith said for us to find Buffy. So, let's find Buffy."

Dawn smiled. "Yeah. Why does she get to play hooky all of the sudden leaving me to do all of the hard work?"

Andrew piped in from the kitchen. "School was cancelled, remember?"

Dawn grimaced over her shoulder before winking at Willow. "Oh, yeah…"


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.21 **

**End of Days**

It had always been a beautiful house. It was spacious, with three full bedrooms, two bath. There was the basement and plenty of space out in the backyard. Willow shook her head at all of the fond memories that this held for her… so much more a home than her own. This was even where Tara and she had lived, Buffy having been gone.

Willow turned and smiled at Tara... still in awe of her being back. (I love you so much.)

Moving up the walkway, trying to ignore that the front yard needed trimmed and that the weeds and ivy were taking over the front of the house, Willow decidedly chose to continue ignoring the argument going on between the others behind her and focused on getting inside the house.

As she moved to open the door, she had an instant of worry at the lack of noise inside the house. The city of Sunnydale was deserted, everyone having evacuated while they were still able to. Everyone, that is, except for those trying to stop the evil from taking over. (Which meant us.)

The foyer was empty at first, when Anya decided to try and bring Willow back into the heated discussion. "Are you sure you couldn't add something to it?"

Willow felt herself losing control, wanting to scream at the stupid ex-demon person, when Giles and Andrew walked towards them, appearing from out of the living room.

Andrew, the little nerd (And for her to call someone that, you know it had to be bad!), seemed to catch a clue and realize that the recon mission failed. "But you did that spell with the little lights? The locator thingie?"

Dawn nodded, though Anya responded first, beating everyone else. "It crapped out on us though."

Buffy's sister glared at Anya before looking at Giles. "No, it didn't...exactly."

Willow shrugged at the confusion on the Watcher's face. "It just took us to an empty house. She must have moved on already."

Giles gestured for everyone to come into the living room, to relax, though Willow could see the tightening of his eyes. (Something was wrong. Very wrong.) She turned to get comfortable on the couch, and smiled as she watched both Tara and Dawn helping Xander back into the comfy chair that he had recently claimed as his own.

Once everyone was settled, Giles finally spoke. "I'm afraid we have slightly worse news here. Faith hasn't returned with the other girls. Something's gone wrong."

Andrew puffed out his chest "I've been here, keeping morale up. Because that's important."

(This was definitely not good.) Trying not to look too worried, though she probably didn't succeed, Willow looked over at Giles. "We have to go to her."

Xander nodded for his seat. He looked so tired. "Guess so."

Looking back and forth between Willow and Xander, Andrew picked up a Capri-Sun and sipped some berry flavored liquid through the straw. "Yes. I'll stay here, keep working on that morale thing."

Even Xander smiled when Tara rolled her eyes.

OOOOO

"Will, come here. She's losing a lot of blood." Buffy called from across the room.

Willow frowned as she checked on the young girl laying in front of her, not sure that there was too much more that she could do. Sighing as she looked across the living room, at all of the injured girls… but more obviously, at the missing faces that were no longer there, she moved to stand up and moved over towards where Buffy was pressing down on a girl suffering from a deep cut.

"Got it." Willow said. (Did she really have it? Did anyone?)

"The room upstairs is ready for her." Buffy spoke. Wondering who she was talking to, Willow looked up from bandaging… (what was this girl's name? Amanda? Caridad?) and watched as Giles and Xander started up the stairs, an unconscious Faith limp between them.

Xander simply nodded at Buffy, while Giles answered off-handedly. "Good."

As they both carried the young woman towards the second floor, Willow caught a glimpse again of the weapon that Buffy had only barely, and reluctantly, let go of when she came into the house… bringing in all of the wounded with her. It was something old… something powerful (that's an understatement!) and something that the young witch didn't want to be anywhere near… and to confirm her feelings, Willow had watched as Tara had avoided the blade like it was the plague.

"I hope we're in time." Willow thought she heard Xander say, but she was too busy trying to get the blood to stop flowing from the girl in front of her.

Amanda was suddenly next to Willow… (so, girl bleeding to death isn't Amanda. Good.) "Is she okay? Is she gonna be OK?"

Kennedy came up from behind where Tara was helping wrap another trainee's leg. She smiled briefly at Willow before looking at Amanda. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Kennedy then turned to look over at Buffy. "Right?"

Xander suddenly yelled out. "Careful!"

With the Watcher tiredly responding. "Just mind her head."

Willow was glad when the two finally disappeared up the stairs, taking the dark-haired slayer to a more private room. Early reports that had come in from the girls not seriously hurt had said Faith had taken the brunt of an explosion… a trap bomb left by Caleb.

Buffy looked tired. "I'll be up in a second."

Kennedy moved over closer to Buffy. "You guys heal fast, right? You slayers?"

Buffy didn't seem to hear her, but Tara took that moment to go over to the scared trainee and wrap her arms around her comfortingly. "Yeah. Slayers heal quick."

"So...she'll be okay?"

Not even turning to look at either Tara or Kennedy, Buffy quietly answered. "I don't know."

Caridad took that moment to walk up, her arm bandaged above the elbow. (Not Caridad either. Who am I bandaging here?) "What's with the axe thing?"

The blonde-headed slayer shrugged. When she turned to look at Caridad, Willow could see how tired she was. "I took it from Caleb. It might be important."

Vi answered from her spot where Tara had been cleaning her wounds. "Let's hope."

"I think we got punished." Willow wasn't sure who said it, though it sounded very much like Amanda.

Both Tara and Buffy turned to look at whoever had spoken, currently out of Willow's line of sight at the moment. "What?"

Kennedy nervously looked around the room. "We, uh...we followed her. And it was…"

Vi finished for her. "It didn't work out."

Willow watched as Tara left the discussion and moved over to where she was still working on rough stitching the wound. "How's Dominique?" She asked.

(That's who this is! Dominique.) Willow smiled, hoping the flush of embarrassment didn't seem too out of place. "Well… now that I know her name, she's great."

Both witches turned to where Buffy was now talking animatedly with the slayers-in-training. "You guys, it was a trap. It's not her fault. That could've just as easily happened to me.

Vi shook her head, apparently not believing in Buffy's words.

Caridad finally asked, her voice near breaking. "So are you... are you, like, back?"

Buffy let her arms drop. "I don't know. I guess I'm not leaving." Sighing loudly, Buffy walked over to where Tara had closed the first-aid kit she was using. Buffy picked the kit up and, stopping by the stairs to grab her thingie… (was it an axe?)… and moved quickly up the stairs.

Kennedy called after her before she went too far up the steps. "So, we got a plan now, or anything?"

"Yeah, there's a plan." Buffy called from over her shoulder. "Get ready. Time's up."

OOOOOO

"And you have no idea what she wants?" Giles asked again. It took all of her willpower not to roll her eyes and tell him that if he was so worried, he should leave and ask her himself, when the door into her room opened.

Willow shook her head from side-to-side minutely as Buffy entered into Willow's bedroom. The witch arched her eyebrow when she saw the look on Buffy's face, as well as to the fact that she carried her magick weapon thing with her.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy seemed to address both Willow and Giles together. "I think it's maybe some kind of scythe. The only thing I know for sure is it made Caleb back off in a hurry."

(Man. Could these people be any more dramatic?) Willow giggled as she pushed playfully against Giles. "So it's true. Scythe matters."

Giles gave her one of his standard disapproving looks, which only made Willow smile bigger, as he turned to Buffy and reached for the scythe. "And, ignoring that, I'd just like to point out this is really quite ingenious."

After Buffy set it in his hand, Giles stepped away from both of them as he began twirling it around, much like a baton.

Buffy nodded. "Kills strong bodies three ways."

Willow dropped the smile and looked at her friend. "And you say you sense something when you hold it?"

The slayer shrugged noncommittally. "Not much, but it's strong. And I knew it belonged to me. I just knew it."

The Watcher was carefully inspecting the weapon. "In addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical."

(Well, duh!) Willow smiled as she and Buffy shared a look. Buffy finally looked over at Giles. "Yeah, I figured that one out when I King Arthur-ed it out of the stone."

"So maybe it's like some kind of traditional slayer weapon." Willow guessed.

Giles was shaking his head. "I can't imagine how something like this could exist without my having heard of it."

"Well, the good guys are not traditionally known for their communication skills." Buffy shot out, though she lessoned the words by smiling.

Giles looked up at her and then back at the scythe. "Right. Ummm... "Any chance that it might be something other than a tool for killing things?"

Giles sat on the bed next to Willow as Buffy started pacing in front of them. "The First's guys clearly wanted it out of that stone. It's not just a tool. It's important. We need to find out whatever we can. Who made it, when, why? Does it have a name?"

Buffy shrugged her shoulders as she stopped pacing and looked imploringly at the two of them. "I don't know, a credit report? Just find out fast."

Giles nodded as he handed the weapon back to Buffy. "We'll start work immediately."

Willow twisted to grab her laptop off of the desk. "Yeah, don't worry, Buff. We'll find out everything there is to know."

"Good, because right now, that thing's all we've got going for us."


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

**BTVS**

**EPISODE 7.22 **

**Chosen**

Willow looked over at Tara, not surprised at all to find the other witch looking back at her. From the look in her lover's (_One_ of her lovers. How weird is that?) face, she was as equally stunned as she was. Glancing around, Willow could see that everyone else in the room was just as blown away by what they'd just heard as she was.

The silence seemed to draw out forever. Buffy took her time to pace in the space available in her bedroom ,while everyone continued to stare at one another. Buffy finally looked back and forth between everyone. "Well? What do you think?"

Xander was the first to find his voice. "That depends. Are you in any way...kidding?"

Buffy pouted. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

Faith, who was standing on the opposite side of the room as Buffy, shrugged. "It's pretty radical, B".

Giles was staring out the bedroom window. "It's a lot more than that."

Everyone turned to watch the Englishman as he stood. "Buffy, what you said, it…it… well, it flies in the face of everything we've ever… every generation has ever done in the fight against evil." Giles smiled. "I think its bloody brilliant."

The blonde slayer's entire face lit up at his words. "You mean that?"

"If you want my opinion." Giles offered.

"I really do."

(Okay. Rain for the parade, now.) "Whoa, hey. Not to poop on the party here, but I'm the guy that's gonna have to pull this thing off…."

"We're the guy." Tara spoke, her eyes fierce as she looked at Willow. "Guys, that is."

Faith stepped forward, her eyes dancing. "It is beaucoup d'mojo."

Willow smiled as Tara squeezed her hand in support. "This goes beyond anything I've ever done." She looked at Tara who shook her head. "It's a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome, one of my girlfriends has a pierced tongue kind of way."

Dawn, who had been sitting close to Xander quizzically shifted looking between Tara and Willow, muttering under her breath about "_one of_ " Giles took that moment to start looking back out the window. Faith grinned and Tara blushed furiously.

Buffy looked so serious. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it."

Willow hated saying it aloud. "I… I'm not sure that I'm stable enough."

Tara stood, pulling Willow into a hug. In her ear, Tara whispered. You won't be alone, my love."

Giles moved over and placed his hand on Willow's shoulder. "You can do this, Willow. We'll get the coven on the line, and we'll find out how they can help."

Dawn broke the drama of the moment as she suddenly sat up straight. "Oh! One of two… and a pierced tongue!"

Willow started to giggle as Buffy looked panicky. "Dawn needs to do a research thing."

Giles quickly to the thread and turned to look sternly at Dawnie. "Yes, you do."

Buffy's sister rolled her eyes. "It's cool." Dawn stood and glanced over at Willow and Tara before walking out of the bedroom. "Watcher Junior to the library."

Giles nodded at everyone in the room and then moved to follow Dawn out the door. "I'll go dig up my sources. Quite literally, actually."

Anya, who had surprisingly remained quiet through the meeting, turned to look at Xander. "Come on. Let's go assemble the cannon fodder."

Xander shook his head as he and his former wife-to-be walked out. "That's not what we're calling them, sweetie."

Willow, Buffy, Faith and Tara all watched as the two walked out of sight, Anya's voice carrying. "Not to their faces. What, am I insensitive?"

Buffy walked over and handed the scythe over to Willow. Faith just watched as Tara nodded slowly.

(Oh, boy.)

OOOOOO

Everyone was in the living room. All of the remaining trainees, Principal Wood (was he standing awfully close to Faith?), Xander and Anya, Tara, Giles. Spike Everyone was there... with Buffy looking at all of them.

"So here's the part where you make a choice." Buffy spoke into the silence. "What if you could have that power...now?"

Willow watched as Rona and Vi both looked up. Amanda seemed to perk up a bit. All of them. Buffy had them. "In every generation, one slayer is born... because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men." Giles nodded, as Buffy continued.

"This woman…" Buffy pointed to Willow. (Okay. Die now.) "Is more powerful than all of them combined."

Willow whimpered. Not the bravest show in the world, but both Tara and Kennedy, each on one side, held her hands tightly. "So I say we change the rule. I say my power... should be our power. "

Everyone was rapt with attention. Other than her own heartbeat thudding in her ears, she was sure a pin could be heard falling onto the carpet.

Buffy smiled as she looked over at Willow. "Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of the scythe to change our destiny."

Willow nodded nervously as Buffy turned back to each of the girls, making sure to look each of them in the eye. "From now on, every girl in the world who might be a slayer... will be a slayer. Every girl who could have the power... will have the power... can stand up, will stand up. Slayers... every one of us."

It was arrogant to say, but Willow had never been more proud of Buffy.

"Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"

OOOOOO

(Why couldn't she have chosen a less magicky thing to be? A soldier. She could be a better soldier than Xander…) Willow tried to keep from throwing up yet again. (It's just too much.)

Movement from the other side of the room brought Willow's head up from the papers she was looking over for the billionth time. On the other side of the bedroom, Tara was combing her hair. Willow loved watching her do that. Kennedy sat behind Willow, her fingers playing with wisps of bottle-red hair that refused to not stand straight up on end.

"I really wish she hadn't said that about me." Willow said to no one in particular.

"What, the thing Buffy said?" Kennedy stopped playing with her hair and drew Willow close for a hug. " I think it's true."

At Willow's squeak of uncertainty, Tara got up from the vanity and moved over to the bed, brush still in hand. "I'll be with you. To keep you grounded."

Kennedy was nodding. "And I'll be there to protect you both."

"Yeah, well, you might have to keep me stab-ded, if I go to the bad place."

Tara knelt on the floor, her body leaning on the bed directly in front of Willow and Kennedy. "You're saying Kennedy might have to kill you."

The redhead nodded. "I am."

Kennedy snorted. "Bite me."

"I will. I mean, I do... mean it." Willow's words came out jumbled. "The darkest place I've ever been, this is what lies beyond that. This is too important for me to…"

Tara reached out and grabbed Willow's hand. "Buffy believes in you."

Willow smiled. "You know, Buffy: sweet girl, not that bright."

Kennedy grabbed Willow and shook her gently. "Hey, I'm the first one to call her out when she's not making sense. In fact, this may have escaped your keen notice, but I'm kind of a brat."

Willow smiled at Tara's nod, but kept her attention on what the young potential was saying. "I've always sort of gotten my way. So you're gonna make it through this, no matter how dark it gets. Because now... you're my way."

Kennedy leaned over and kissed Willow soundly. As they pulled apart, Willow glanced over at Tara, who nodded. "You know you're already my way, too."

Willow leaned forward and kissed Tara. "Well," she said jokingly. "If we're all gonna go 'my way,' I better go over this again."

"_We_ better." Tara said determinedly.

Willow nodded. "We."

Kennedy stretched out on the bed, cuddling around Willow and Tara as both witches sat on the edge of the mattress, their heads leaned together, and started studying the ancient spell texts that Giles had provided.

OOOOO

Willow couldn't help but look around at rgw state-of-the-art hallway that made up part of the new Sunnydale high School. It was so much nicer than the yuck that she had been stuck with back in her day. (Did that make her sound old?)

Robin, who was leading the group through the twisted maze of lockers, was talking. "There's no running in the halls, no yelling, no gum chewing."

The nice-looking black man stopped and turned to look at everyone in the group. "Apart from that, there's only one rule. If they move, kill them."

Buffy, who was just to the former principal's left, clapped her hands together. "Okay, potentials, in the basement. Follow Faith and Spike."

Taking their cue, the brunette slayer and the peroxide vampire turned and started moving towards the basement door. Willow watched as the potentials all fell in line behind them. Each and every one of them was armed to the teeth with weapons collected over the years.

Willow grinned as Xander called after the retreating backs of the girls. "If you have to go to the bathroom, it's to your left. If you don't have to go to the bathroom, picture what you're about to face. Better to go now."

Tara tugged at Willow's sleeve, catching her attention. Robin had stepped in front of the two witches, his eyes deep with concern. "Willow. Tara. My office is straight through there." Willow nodded as Tara turned to check exactly where he was pointing.

Buffy added. "It's right over the seal." (Stay clam. Don't be nervous!)

Tara reached over and took the bag that Willow had brought. "I'll start getting you set up."

Kennedy smiled and started walking after the brunette witch. "And I'll go start making sure everything's safe."

"Thanks." Willow called after them..

(Apparently, it's hand-clapping day.) Robin clapped his hands together and looked at the people remaining. "Okay, civilians. (Who's he calling a civilian?) The vampires get upstairs, we have three areas they could get through to another building and then down into the sewers."

Principal Wood points behind Willow. "Down the hall in the atrium, the north hall here, and the primary target, through the lounge straight to the science building. Now odds are, most of them will head there."

Giles stepped in, then. "Teams of two then. I suggest you and I take the lounge."

Robin nodded. "I concur."

Buffy glanced over the group. "Xander, I want you with Dawn."

Xander puffed his chest out comically as he glanced over at Robin. "I concur."

Dawn grinned. "We'll check out the atrium."

Anya looked over at Xander, before glancing back at Buffy and Giles. "So that leaves me and the dungeon master in the north hall?"

Andrew stepped forward and attempted a bow. "We will defend it with our very lives."

Anya looked at Giles, her eyes pleading. "Yes, we will defend it with his very life."

Xander smiled as he stepped closer to Anya. "And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield."

"Good, yes, thanks." Anya nodded.

Andrew seemed to ignore all of them and suddenly pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket. "I just want to say how proud I am to die for this very special cause with you guys. There's some, um… there's people I'd like to thank, both good and evil."

Buffy rolled her eyes as Andrew kept reading. "Um, a shout out to my brother Tucker, who gave me the inspiration to summon demons and also…"

"Nobody cares, you little monkey." Anya interrupted, as she turned to move towards the North Hall.

Dawn smiled at the group before moving in the opposite direction. "I'm gonna check out our field of engagement."

Willow watched as Buffy ran after her sister. "Dawn..."

Dawn turned, her face stern. "No. Anything you say is gonna sound like good-bye." Buffy just stood there as Dawn walked away from her.

Willow smiled when Buffy came back. She looked around and realized that Robin had disappeared (probably checking his area to defend)…. Looking back at her friends around her, Willow saw that it was the original four of them, alone at last. The ones from the beginning.

"So, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Buffy suddenly asked into the silence.

Willow shrugged. "Nothing strenuous."

"Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind." Xander smiled.

Giles stepped forward, trying to interject. "I think we can do better than that."

Willow hid a grin as Buffy ignored the Watcher. "I was thinking about shopping. As per usual."

"Oh!" Willow reminded her. "There's an Arden B. in the new mall!"

"I could use a few items." Xander said off-handedly.

Giles' voice seemed to be getting louder. (Was he upset?) "Well, now aren't we gonna discuss this? Save the world to go to the mall?"

Buffy grinned mischievously. "I'm having a wicked shoe craving."

"Aren't you on the patch?" Xander inquired.

"Those never work." Willow offered. "But what about your new boots?"

Buffy shrugged. "Heart's desire changed again, I guess."

"Here I am, invisible to the eye..." Giles implored to the heavens. Willow saw that he had stopped following them, but he was where he needed to be. They still had to get to their positions and assignments.

Xander was speaking again, bringing her attention back to him. "See, I need a new look. It's this whole eye patch thing."

Buffy laughed. "Oh, you could go with full black secret agent look."

Willow shook her head. "Or the puffy shirt, pirate slash…"

Somewhere behind them, Willow was sure she heard Giles exclaim that the earth was doomed. (Why does that sound familiar?)

Eventually, Willow reached the doorway leading to Robin's office, so Buffy had to give a last look of encouragement from her two best friends in the entire world, before she went to try a spell that would change the very fabric of the balance between good and evil.

(Well… the First had said it was tired of the whole balanced scales thing. Let's give it what it wants.)

OOOOO

Willow was sitting on the floor of the principal's office, a semi-circle of white candles lit in front of her. There are other candles in the room (nearly filling the room, truth be told), as well. Tara was already preparing, meditating, sitting across from her. Kennedy stood to the side of them, watching them both carefully.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly as she glanced at Kennedy. "They should be in place."

Willow adjusted how she was kneeling, a mirror to Tara, with her hands resting on her knees. Buffy's scythe was placed directly between the two witches, the focal point. Before she could even open her mouth, Tara's eyes popped open looking directly into her own. Willow smiled. "Okay, magic time."

Looking back at the potential, Willow tried for brevity. "You ready to, heh heh, kill me?"

Kennedy wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "Starting to be."

"Good. Fun. Great." Willow looked back at Tara who nodded. Willow silently nodded back and picked up the scythe. "Brace yourselves."

The words came, almost without thought, as Willow allowed herself to drop every wall… every barrier… every defense… all doubt… all fear… put everything into allowing her body, mind and soul to become the conduit for power to reshape the world. She wanted to scream (Cry, too, maybe?) in absolute joyful horror as she felt her very being start to vanish.

It was like the light of creation realized that she was an intruder and that she had to be dealt with like a disobedient child… no, more like swatting at a gnat. She was nothing in the rush of power… nothing left… It was too much. She had failed everyone… Kennedy… be quick. Strike true… take care of my Tara.

_I love you…_ resounded deep within her. (Was that her thought? Can you think without actually thinking about thinking? No. That was… Tara! It was Tara.) Tara was offering her a lifeline. A way to stay grounded. She was… Tara was her kite string!

And with the surety of a way home, Willow knew there was no more reason to fear. The scythe in her hands beat with the power of ancient magicks, but not of a will of its own. Willow sought to impose her will, Buffy's will… all of it into the gift of the vessel. It was like an angel singing.

Like Tara singing.

"Oh...my...Goddess..." (Did she say that?)

In her mind's eye, Willow was suddenly everywhere in the world and no where all at the same time. Through the magick of the slayer. She could see all of them at once, each looking out… for a brief, hesitant moment afraid, only to be filled with the power and assuredness of the slayer.

First, Willow could see one of the girls currently fighting… then another. Each awkward and desperate to survive, then suddenly tall and fierce and powerful.

Then she was somewhere in Tennessee as a young woman stood at home plate staring at the pitcher, waiting to bat. She looked a little nervous… then confident, smiling as she waits for the pitch

Willow's head swims as .a young woman breathes heavily as she leans on her school locker for support, now able to breathe with a renewed strength she never possessed before.

Then to Japan as a woman stands defiantly against her father.

Too fast to keep up with all of them, Willow can see girls, women everywhere, scattered across the globe becoming imbued with the gift of being a slayer. Woman suddenly running faster, dancing better, moving quicker.

A woman grabs the hand of a man, trying to slap her. Women in slave camps suddenly finding the strength of will to rise up against their captors… And she could feel all of them. Knew where every one of them was.

"Willow?" A voice called from the distance.

"Willow?"

She finally could open her eyes. Across from her, Tara was… gorgeous. Her hair was white, her skin containing the light and beauty of the sun. Glowing almost too brightly to see. A smile on her lips as she looked at Willow, and in that moment, Willow knew she looked the same.

The twin pair of witches each nodded, their movements perfectly in sync, as Willow released the power… allowed the magicks to reset themselves across the world (How cool was that to say?). She and Tara leaned over and kissed, the last remnants of the massive spell fading, each of them completely exhausted.

Kennedy was suddenly there. Her eyes alight with the same sparkle that Willow had seen in Buffy and Faith… and Kendra before Faith. Willow smiled as Kennedy looked at the two of them. "You...You both are goddesses."

Tara grinned, though she was slouched over in apparent exhaustion. "Or twin sides of one."

Willow smiled weakly, then glanced back at the young poten… (no, slayer).. "And now you're a slayer. Get this to Buffy."

Willow handed the scythe to Kennedy, as she nodded once and then moved quickly out of the room.

Just the two witches alone… at last… Willow moved over to look deep into the eyes of her partner. (Her love. _Her_ way.) She felt a goofy grin spread on her face at the drunken behavior of Tara. Once she had Tara's attention, Willow laughed as she hugged her, before they both fell over on their sides.

"Ha!" Willow grinned stupidly. "That was nifty."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

**BTVS / ATS**

**To The Rescue?**

(( One Year Later… ))

The room was wood. Wooden floors, wood paneling on the walls. Even the single chair and table in the room were made from wood. And old wood at that. There were no widows outside of the room. No light switches, no hidden wiring in the walls. Nothing in the room but the only door that led out of the room, which was currently closed, and even the door was made from wood. In any other instance, the room would have been completely unremarkable, but for the three figures inside.

"Wait! Hold on just a second longer…" Dawn yelled from her position at the table, her eyes seemingly glued to the mirror lying flat on the table.

Willow considered that to the casual observer (if such a thing in this instance were possible), it might look like Dawn was busy staring at herself in the mirror. And that explanation might have worked in Sunnydale before it was wiped from the face of the planet, as the watcher would have to ignore the fact that the mirror was shining a bright, near blinding light, up into the face of the girl, as well as the fact that there both she and Tara were mumbling in some long-forgotten language that was fueling the mirror's light. Not to mention the fact that Tara… which meant Willow herself… seemed to glow ethereally, a soothing, warm presence in the otherwise empty room.

"Hurry, Dawnie." Tara called out. Willow could sense, rather than see, that Tara's hand was reaching out to her. "I'm not sure how much longer we can hold this together…" Willow's hand instinctively grabbed a hold of her lover's, never opening her eyes.

"Guys. Seriously. I've almost…" Dawn's forehead voice called out from where the table sat on the other side of the room, the image of her figure hunched over the surface of the mirror near burnt into Willow's mind. "Got it!" She finally yelled. As if on cue, the room was suddenly plunged into darkness as the magick was released by the two witches that had been holding it.

From the darkness came Tara's weak chuckle. "Can we sleep now?"

Dawn Summers, sister of the Alpha Slayer (as Giles often referred to her now), answered into the sightless room. "Sure. Your bed or mine?"

"Hey, you two." Willow decided to nip this one in the bud right now. "I'm not sharing any more. Two is plenty enough for me."

From outside of the black filled room, a voice called through the wood. "And your best friend would beat you to death for corrupting her sister."

"Party pooper." Dawn laughed. Both Tara and Willow joined in as well, when light suddenly flooded into the room as the door leading out of the scrying room was opened.

With the light pouring in from behind, all three had to shield their eyes as the silhouette of Buffy stepped into the room. "Get over it, Dawn. You're lucky I'm still okay with you getting involved in all of this magicky stuff, as it is."

Willow was the first standing, her body felt alight with the rush of power, even after such a powerful spell. Momentarily, Willow still felt a pang of self doubt. In times past, that magickal energy might have been cause for alarm, but now she felt it quickly dissipate as she reached down and helped Tara off of the floor.

Buffy walked over to the table where her sister was still slouched in the chair. Willow smiled as Buffy lovingly rubbed Dawn's shoulders and watched as the elder sister smiled at the back of the younger one's head. It was a beautiful moment ruined only by the fact that Buffy was leaning slightly over Dawn to look into the scrying mirror resting on the table.

Although the mirror no longer emitted any type of illumination into the room, the redheaded witch knew that what the viewer saw in the mirror was anything but a reflection. Instead, the mirror now acted as a window (though Giles had pitched a British monarchy fit when he heard it described as such) to wherever the caster had linked the magick to see. In this case, the images in the mirror currently watched Los Angeles… although it would be Angel, to be more specific.

"Is it working?" Dawn asked, interrupting Buffy's apparent attention from the scene. Willow glanced back over to the table to see that Dawn had spoken without even raising her head from her folded arms on the table to the mirror's side.

"Well?" Willow asked. Tara gave her hand a squeeze, bringing her attention back to her love. Seeing that she was okay, Willow and Tara shared a smile, and then both urged their exhausted bodies towards the two Summers sisters.

Buffy slightly shuffled to the side as Willow and Tara drew near to the table. Willow shrugged as Buffy's eyes glanced up at Willow's hair. She and Buffy had had long talks in regards to Buffy's astonishment at the whiteness slowly fading back to the bottled red that Willow preferred.

Willow indicated with her eyes towards Tara's hair. The change was not so noticeable with Tara, as her natural hair color was a mixture of light and dark brown, which made the whiteness seem almost like it was nothing more than blonde highlights. Buffy and Willow both started to giggle softly, bringing a confused look from Dawn.

"Look. Works perfect." Tara said as she pointed at the mirror, which brought a serious visage to Buffy's face once again.

"Like there was ever any doubt." Willow responded back as she hugged the witch next to her. "We're like, super-Wiccans, or something."

At that, even Dawn turned her head and opened bloodshot eyes to look at everyone. "I like wonder Wiccans better."

"Oohhh." Tara laughed. "I like that."

Willow arched her eyebrow at Tara. (Buffy would have to forgive her this opportunity. It was too easy of one to let go.) Willow grinned as she hugged Tara even tighter. "So… you gonna wear the red and blue bathing suit and tie me up tonight with your _magic_ lasso?"

"Wouldn't Kennedy fit the look a bit better?"

At that, Buffy cleared her throat before it could go any further. The look in Tara's eyes definitely had an NC-17 rating, rather than the wholesome G or PG that Buffy liked around Dawn. Tara had the decency to flush red as she looked over at the Alpha Slayer, which always caused Willow's own face to blush in response.

Buffy nodded and then moved towards the doorway. "Giles!" She called into the hallway. Willow knew her friend well enough to know that she was hoping the threat of the parental figure might cool things down before they went too far. "Scrying mirror is a go."

Willow decided to once again prove Buffy wrong and quickly turned Tara around and brought her face close to hers. Tara immediately smiled and reached the rest of the distance between the two of them, her lips closing tightly against the other. Willow smiled into the kiss as she felt Tara's arms matching her own as they moved across each other's back and waist.

"Get a room, you guys." Dawn suddenly called out.

Tara pulled back, her eyes twinkling, as both she and Willow turned to look at Dawn, their cheeks resting against one another. Dawn forcefully pulled herself out of the chair and moved towards the door. Willow watched as Buffy smiled at her sister as she moved past her into the hallway, mumbling under her breath.

Giles and Vi used that moment to make their way into the scrying room.

From the hallway, Willow laughed as she heard Dawn cry out in mock frustration. "I so need a boyfriend."

OOOOOO

Willow made her way down the hallway of the hotel. Every so often, she would take a moment to glance out one of the windows to catch the London skyline… (did you call it a skyline in England?)... before continuing on to her destination.

The English hotel that the group was staying in currently had been an asset of the old Watcher's Council. In fact, from the records and banking statements that had been circulated after the fall of Sunnydale when no one was sure what was going to happen next, the old Council had quite a bit of assets in the way of accounts, stocks, bonds, artwork and land, not to mention almost anything else anyone could ever want.

It had been one of the first things Giles had started dealing with after the escape, to confirm which staff members and active Watchers were still alive. In the beginning, the numbers were small, but as Giles and the others kept searching, the Watchers suddenly all dropped their invasion protocols and came out of hiding. Those that had retired came back to help out, and it wasn't long before a new Watcher's Council was taking shape.

Since the forming of the new Watcher's Council under the leadership of Giles, as well as the inclusion of the hundreds of new slayers, a new mission statement towards the battle against evil had taken shape. Watchers, trainers, magick users (her and Tara included) and slayers were moved to various locations across the globe to prevent another devastating loss as had been suffered during the First's attack on the old Council, not to mention that by allowing the different groups to care over the different regions, a more proactive stance against evil could happen.

England remained the headquarters and central nexus for the branches of the Council, with Giles heading the main office. And although the core group from Sunnydale longed to stay close, Willow knew that it was not in the best interest for the future to always stay so close all the time. This had led to Buffy and Dawn watching the Italian division of the Council, while Faith and Robin had taken over the Cleveland, Ohio branch.

She and Tara, as the ones linked to every slayer on the planet, had been relegated to the duty of traveling across the globe in the task of finding the newly activated slayers, while the rest were assigned to different areas. And Kennedy had been assigned as their slayer accompaniment. (It was such a burden, Willow thought sarcastically. A paying, globe-trotting job that her two lovers got to do with her, as well.)

Other than occasionally missing Buffy and Xander and Dawnie, things were fabulous. So it was always bad when, as it always happened, the group was called back together for something other than a Sunnydale Class Reunion.

OOOOOO

Seated around the private hotel dining room sat the core and inner management of the new Watcher's Council. Giles was seated at the table, a glass of scotch left untouched by his left hand. Willow sat to his right, Tara sitting directly next to her. Willow was glad that Tara was looking much better recovered from the spell earlier the day.

Across from Giles sat Buffy, with Dawn next to her. Faith, Vi, Xander and Andrew were along the wall surrounding the table. Only Faith remained standing. There was a speakerphone in the middle of the table.

"As well as I can determine from what we are seeing from the scrying mirror," Giles paused as he took his glasses from his face and began wiping the lenses with a cloth he pulled from his jacket pocket. "Is a summary, if you will, of the events in LA leading up to the moment that the spell was cast."

"But," Willow interrupted. "That's not how the spell works. We- we're supposed to be seeing the now. Not the then." She took a deep breath as her eyes darted around the room. "Why aren't we seeing now?"

Tara reached out and took Willow's hand as the redhead became more and more increasingly upset. "I'm sure Mr. Giles will explain everything, Will." Her voice was calm, soothing. "Just remember that we knew things were strange in California. There was every reason to expect the la-lawyers to not show us what was going on."

Willow wasn't so easily convinced, but Giles nodded at the young witch's remarks. "Exactly. From the information that has been gathered already, even before we tried this possibility, we knew that the goings on surrounding Angel and the things happening in Los Angeles, including Wolfram and Hart, were leading up to a major shift in magickal energies."

"So that means… ?" Buffy let the question hang in the air as she watched her Watcher.

Giles sighed. "What it means is that we are still left with only the options that were first made available to us when this first became an issue."

Willow leaned back and just watched the conversation. She watched as Dawn looked up as her sister seemed ready to retort, when Willow's attention was drawn to Faith, who it seems had decided to interject. "And we still don't like that you get to choose which of those options we have ta take."

Faith pushed away from the wall where she'd been leaning and moved gracefully into the center of the room. It didn't matter that almost everyone else in the room was a slayer or had been associated with a slayer in some capacity or another for several years. Faith… or the Beta Slayer as Giles referred to her (never, and I repeat never, let Faith catch you referring to her like that)… moved in such a way as you knew that to face her was to court death herself.

"I'm telling you now… you wanna to do this, you gotta pick something besides door two. You don't like one, then find three or four… or even twelve, but I ain't gonna stand for it," Faith paused and turned to glance at Buffy. "And I'm pretty sure that B here once all votes are counted ain't gonna go for it either."

The room as a whole seemed to hold its breath as every eye turned to watch Buffy. Dawn rolled her eyes as Buffy let the silence draw out.

"Geez, Buffy." Dawn finally spoke. "Like the attention much?"

Faith barked out a laugh as she used her finger to pretend to write the number one on an invisible chalkboard. "Score one for the youngest Summer's girl." Dawn grinned while Buffy rolled her eyes. Willow was happy that even over such a heavy topic, the group still could remember that they were all on the same side.

Robin Wood's voice broke through the smiles, as Faith and the others turned to look at the speakerphone on the table. "As much as I am loathe to admit it, I have to agree with Faith… and Buffy, even if she hasn't said so yet or not."

Now there was a surprise, Willow thought quietly. Robin rarely ever sided against Giles in matters like this… though pissing off a former lover like Faith might be enough to make you consider choosing a different side.

Willow had to cover her mouth to hide a smile as Faith grinned evilly and made an obscene gesture towards Giles as Robin continued. "Rupert, I cannot come up with any other feasible options besides the ones that we already have… but between the choice of sending in a show of force with the slayers and witches to clean up the mess or dropping a magickal atomic bomb on the city, I like the first choice."

"That's right." Faith danced, her hips thrusting wilding. "Uungh!"

At Faith's gyrating, Buffy smiled. "And yet again with the grunting." Willow wondered at the smile Faith shared with Buffy before Giles started rapping his knuckles on the table, drawing everyone's attention away from the beta Slayer's hip thrusts and back to him.

"I cannot consider the possible deaths, of such a staggering scale no less, of the slayers we currently have, as a feasible option." Giles held his hand up as the room seemed to be about to protest at once. "The second option would effectively render all supernatural activity in the area incapable of hurting anyone until we could pick them up."

"That sounds reasonable." Andrew piped up from the corner. Willow hid another smile as Faith turned to glare at him.

"And what's the li-likelihood of your plan's success?" Tara asked. Willow turned and watched as Tara inquired of the Head Watcher. It wasn't that she was surprised that Tara had asked _a_ question, but it was that she had asked _the_ question… the one that they had all talked about when Giles had first come up with the two options.

Giles glanced over at Tara as he put his glasses back on. "Nearly ninety-six percent."

"And the likelihood of success without casualty to human life?" Faith asked.

Willow quickly glanced over at Faith and then towards Buffy. Buffy had set up all of the different people to ask the questions that she herself wanted to ask. (When had she talked to Tara about this?)

Giles leaned back in his chair. Willow knew that he was smart enough to see the trap laid before him, but the chance of winning his argument without having the trap sprung was what currently eluded him. "There is less than twenty-five percent chance of human fatality, dependent upon what is occurring when the spell goes off."

"So… about seventy-five, you're saying?" Dawn asked.

Giles nodded. "However, when you consider that this will be a magickal attack against… "

"And the chance of success without loss of life to those we want to save?" Vi interrupted. While any number of possible interpretations could be made for the lives that she wanted to be saved, no one in the room questioned the specifics of whom most everyone wanted safe and out of LA.

"Of success?" To Willow, it seemed that Giles lost whatever will to fight he'd had in the beginning of this meeting as he wilted more and more under the unnerving gaze of his former charges. "Of success, less than fifteen percent."

"Why so little?" Buffy struck suddenly, giving no one a chance to interject or change the line of questioning.

"The spell needed to be cast would be of such power that anything magickal would be affected. Living magick would most likely survive, but all non-living forces such as spells or wards or enchantments would be destroyed."

"And anyone human or other near a large enchantment?"

"Most likely would die." Giles spoke softly into the room. Buffy simply nodded.

"So, worst case scenario is Angel dead and Spike dead…" Buffy stood and walked over to where Faith stood. "And best case is Spike and Angel, whoops! Angelus, knocked out."

Faith's eyes widened when Buffy said the name Angelus. (Apparently, that was a possibility that she had not considered.) Willow felt a tad guilty at Faith's surprise. Petty much?

"But we could, I mean, I could return his soul as soon as that happens." Willow replied into the silence. She already knew what Buffy would say… she was just playing her part now, much as Tara and the others had at the beginning. "I'm getting pretty good about putting it back. This makes, what, third time."

Buffy smiled, though Willow was saddened to see that it never reached her eyes. "I know, Will. And I appreciate it. But no spell would work until we could get him out of the fallout area… and that's provided he survives to be gotten out."

"My turn, maybe?" Xander raised his hand from his seat across the room and waited while everyone stopped mumbling to each other about the two choices. Once everyone seemed focused on him, Xander stood and walked over towards Buffy and Faith.

"Not to undercut the desire to save Deadboy and the peroxide king, but don't we need to think about everyone that's getting hurt or killed right now over there while we argue and discuss this like a bunch of old women?" Xander shrugged apologetically and then moved over to the side, making sure that his good eye was facing the rest of the room.

Now it was Buffy and Faith's turn to look at each other and then sigh. Giles picked up the receiver on the speakerphone and started speaking directly and privately with Robin, who unfortunately was needed in Cleveland. Willow felt Tara squeeze her hand in support and love..

"What about both plans?" Andrew suddenly shouted.

"What?" Faith asked, her eyebrows arched toward her hairline.

"Both... like in Return of the Jedi." Andrew started. "We send a group of the rebels… in this case, of slayers… to Endor, or LA, while the rest of us work on the spell to blow up the Deathstar… or LA." Andrew beamed.

"It's not like the bomb spell thing is going to be quick anyway." He continued. "Teleport over there… make friends with the Ewoks, fight with the storm troopers and then get out of there so we can blow the place back to Tattoine."

When Andrew paused, his face flushed with excitement, it was Dawn that finally found her voice first. "So, should I be more worried that Andrew has a good plan… or that I understood all of that geek-speak to realize it was a good plan?"

Nearly the entire room answered for her. "Both."

The witch watched as Faith cocked her head to the side, carefully watching Buffy. When Buffy realized she was under scrutiny, she nodded. Nodding back, Faith turned and glanced at Giles who was still furiously relaying ideas and plans to Robin over the telephone.

"G-Man?" Xander asked from just behind the Alpha and Beta slayers.

Giles finally looked up. Reaching out, he picked up his glass of alcohol and downed it all in one quick shot. As he sighed, setting the glass carefully back on the table, he nodded. "Robin has agreed to contact the covens in Chicago while I talk to the one in Devon. They're going to do the spell.

"Buffy. Faith. Pick who you're taking. You've got just over thirty hours before the spell goes off." Giles lifted his arm and glanced at the watch on his wrist, the phone still to his ear, Robin possibly still on the other line. "It's 11:07 PM here. That's about three o'clock in the afternoon in California. You'll have until…"

"Tomorrow. Around midnight." Buffy smiled.

"Why's it always midnight…?" Xander grumbled as everyone started talking at once.

OOOOOO

(( 28 Hours 56 Minutes remaining ))

"It's not fair!" Dawn did everything except stomp her foot on the floor as she yelled at her sister. "I have just as much right to go save them as you do."

Willow stopped her packing for a moment to look up and watch as Buffy waited patiently while Dawn continued her tirade. Finally, as Dawn stopped to take a breath, Buffy reached out and covered her younger sister's mouth with her hand. "Listen. I know you're upset. And yes, I know that you've gotten a lot better at magick… but this has to be a fast-moving team. We've got only eight of us. That's it."

Buffy added the nail that would strike home. "And Tara's not going with us either."

It being said aloud… again, Willow glanced to her left to look into the worried face of her girlfriend. There were so many things she felt she should say, that there were always needed to be said at times like these, but nothing came to mind. All she could do was smile and hope that Tara understood how much she loved her… and hope that Kennedy got back soon.

In the window behind Tara, Willow could see in the reflection that Dawn's eyes were watching this side of the bedroom where Willow was packing supplies into a backpack, and Tara sat quietly next to her, almost literally watching every move she made.

"Do you understand that this isn't about power or anything else?" Buffy asked. When Dawn nodded, Buffy continued. "It's going to be me, Willow, Xander, Faith, Vi, Caridad, Michael and Rona. That's all. Two magick users, one sharpshooter and five slayers."

"But…Michael?"

"Dawn, he helped Willow and me back during that Hansel and Gretel fiasco…" Buffy replied patiently. "He's not anywhere near the power of Willow or Tara… or even Amy Madison, for that matter, but he's trustworthy. Besides, he helped us out in Rome against the Immortal, remember?"

Willow stopped eavesdropping and turned to look into Tara's eyes. "You know why I'm going?"

Tara didn't open her mouth, but only nodded. At the wetness that seemed to suddenly fill her eyes, Willow knew that her own were going to start tearing up also.

"And why you can't go?" Tara only nodded again.

"And what you need to do in…"

"Shut up." Tara broke into Willow's babbling. Willow had enough time to drop the spell component bag into the backpack before she was nearly tackled by Tara. Tara's lips, salty from tears now freely falling down her face, pressed to Willow's own.

Both women kissed and hugged and cried. After a few moments, Tara was the one to finally pull back, her eyes puffy and red… and never more beautiful to Willow. "Kennedy is due to arrive tonight. We can both worry about you together."

"I know." Willow spoke trough her tears. "We have to stick to the agreement…"

Tara pulled back and smiled, her hands moving to brush away some imaginary lint or such from the blue jacket she was wearing. "Just remember to stay warm."

"Like that's a problem in LA."

The sound of Buffy and Dawn still _discussing_ the mission arrangements let her know that not too much time had passed.

"Yeah, but…" Dawn object again.

Buffy shook her head. "Dawn, we've already wasted over an hour getting ready… and time is important, here."

"But…"

"No. Giles is staying. Andrew is staying. Tara, under Willow's protest, is staying behind. You're staying. Robin is not meeting us there. He's out. Kennedy won't get here until after we've already left… And the other slayers… they're not invited either."

Tara drew Willow's attention back to her. "You objected?"

Willow sighed and nodded. "It was bad enough that we had to leave Kennedy in Budapest to get here in time. I wanted you with me. I never want us apart. But we agreed to never both be in danger without the third there."

"But?"

"You know why." Willow whispered.

Tara smiled through fresh tears falling down her face. "Yeah."

Both Willow and Tara turned as Dawn sighed. "Can I say just one thing?"

Buffy seemed to steel herself. "Only one more thing, so make it a good one."

Willow watched as the younger sibling apparently considered her words for a moment before suddenly lunging at Buffy and hugged her tightly. "Bring him back, okay."

"Absolutely." Buffy replied, Willow watching as she started to cry as well.

Someone clearing their throat made all for women in the room stop their hugs and preparations as Giles slowly entered the room. "We need for it to happen now. We can give you till midnight, tomorrow. Maybe a quarter of a glass or so after that, but…"

"Did you try to reach him again?" Buffy asked. "Try to call.

Willow watched as Giles took his glasses off, rubbing them from his ever present handkerchief. "We tried, Buffy. Phone, fax. Even that blasted email." He put his glasses back on. "Even our agents over in California are unable to reach him.

Willow wanted to go over and comfort her friend. Buffy's face fell as Giles confirmed again what they'd been trying to do for the past week to circumvent this catastrophe. Nothing had worked.

Faith took that moment to shout from somewhere down the hallway, most likely in the second floor's meeting room… (the room Buffy had nicknamed the magick room.) "The gate's up. We're bookin' now. C'mon B… Red. LA's in the door."

Buffy quickly hugged Dawn again and then Tara, as grabbed her bags off of the unicorn designed bedspread and then headed out the door. Willow shared a look with Tara, their hands squeezing each other's tightly. With a last look to Tara as their hands finally separated, Willow gave Giles a quick peck on the cheek as she ran out the doorway to catch up with Buffy, who was already heading towards the teleportation gate.

With Tara out of her sight, Willow immediately felt the sense of loss that she always seemed to get in the initial moments away from each other… worse without Kennedy there for the support she offered. As the eight team members of the party crowded in to the magick room, Buffy turned and started barking orders.

"Primary team will take lead, spread out and prepare for secondary team." She paused as she looked at all of the determined faces, Willow's own included. "Any questions?"

Xander smiled as he checked the magazine in his weapon. "Just one… Are you going to give us another speech, or can we just go ahead and play SG-1 with this thing?"

Willow smiled. (At least it wasn't a Babylon Five reference this time.) She watched as Buffy shook her head and pointed at the gateway. "Then you can go first, MacGyver."

Xander did a quick rundown of his equipment before he winked at Willow and then saluted Buffy. "That's Colonel O'Neil to you, Buff'ster."

And with that, Willow watched as he vanished through the teleportation spell.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

**The City of Who? **

(( 28 hours 49 minutes remaining ))

Willow reached for the thermos of water Vi handed to her the moment she stepped out of the gateway and into Los Angeles. Traveling via magick wasn't the worst way to go, but it most have been very close. The red-headed witch shook her hands out to her sides after handing the thermos back, trying to regain some of the feeling back to her fingers.

It wasn't that she was cold, but rather that her skin was having to get used to the air once again. Giles had once sat Tara and her down after they'd vamoosed Glory using a similar spell, warning of the dangers. Those warnings had meant nothing to her during her dark time after Warren had shot…

"Are we up and ready?" Rona asked suddenly, thankfully breaking into her thoughts, reminding her that even with the events that had occurred, happy endings were still possible.

"Willow turned back and counted that all of the other seven of their party was out of the spell, as Michael turned and glanced at her. "Let'em know to drop it?"

Buffy smiled from behind the young warlock's view as she flipped open her cell phone. After dialing two buttons, she raised it to her ear and repeated the code that Giles had driven into everyone's head at least a million times. "Tree good. Fire pretty. We are a go."

As Buffy quickly snapped the phone closed, not even waiting for a response, her eyes widened as she looked past where Willow was watching her, causing Willow… as well as many of the others… to finally take in their surroundings.

Xander had point, as he liked to call it. He stood the farthest from where they had all entered the city, supposedly to offer some protection while everyone else arrived. Vi, Rona and Caridad (all slayers from the battle with the First) had the areas backing Xander up.

Willow thought them backing her friend up was funny in a way as he had the automatic weapon and they only carried blades, though when you considered how effective a slayer was with a sword or axe, it might not be that farfetched.

Michael was next, more in the center of the group, as he took in the magickal layout of the surrounding area. Faith and Buffy had come next, each standing to either side of the portal, though Buffy was already moving out nearer to where Xander stood.

That just left herself… still standing near to where she had exited the gateway.

For a moment, everything went black as the glow of the gate suddenly snapped shut. (Apparently, Buffy's call to England had gone without a hitch.) Willow was glad when her eyes adjusted to the change in illumination and she could see again. Of course, that's when the three younger slayers on this mission decided to break out the industrial flashlights from their bags and brighten things up again.

(Why was it so dark?) It was supposed to be around noon here in California… and… Wait! "Guys…" Willow began. "Flash those lights along the walls."

The spell had been cast using several of the magick users (witches, wizards, sorcerers and warlocks) that had survived the original Council's near annihilation. According to the information that had been provided, as well as the scrying that she and Tara had performed earlier in the hopes of learning something new, the safest place to "pop in" at in the LA area had been near the hotel that Angel and his crew had chosen as a base of operations prior to their involvement with Wolfram and Hart: the Hyperion.

"This isn't right."

"What happened here… ?"

Willow and Faith spoke at the same time. The rest of the team waited quietly as she and the Faith turned around and took in all that they could from the various flashlights' area of light. Willow, for one, was not comforted by what she was seeing.

And if she was beginning to freak out just a bit, Willow had no idea what Faith Lehane (what a funny last name!) might be thinking.

"What's wrong?" Xander asked into the silence.

Willow chose to ignore the question at the moment, just as Faith apparently did as she didn't respond either, and pulled out her own flashlight. A spell would have provided more illumination, but she didn't want to chance alerting their position until they had everything secure.

The hotel hadn't ever been the nicest or the cleanest around. (I mean, get real. A vampire, an ex-watcher, a former gang member and Cordelia were supposed to keep a place clean? Hello? And then with Cordelia dying… Angel having a son… uhm… how?… a singing demon. Not a chance.) But what Willow was looking at was beyond anything that might have been ordinary.

Paint was sprayed across the walls. Initially, it might almost look random, but Tara had been helping Willow to see and recognize the patterns that actually existed… and, with a closer look, she could tell that there was nothing random about anything going on inside the Hyperion's lobby.

(No. What was here was a magickal construct of some type… a spell maybe. Something. She knew what it was… the truth of what her eyes were seeing sat just out of reach, like a tune running through your head that you can never remember the words to. There was something… familiar… intimate about the design of the paint… not paint, not browny-rusty paint, but rather blood. Human blood.) The redheaded witch scrunched her eyes in thought. (This feels… really familiar.)

Willow needed a closer look. This was what they brought her for, her purpose being here, to protect them from the magick that might be waiting. A voice called from behind her, but she ignored it, choosing rather to keep her focus on her task. Everything seemed relatively quiet, but the incessant mumbling behind her. She considered telling them to shut up, but that would draw her attention away.

Her footsteps suddenly seemed loud and obvious as Willow drew closer to the sigil painted walls. Almost as if of a will of their own, she felt her free hand (the one not tightly gripping her flashlight) stretch out in front of her, drawing nearer and nearer to the edge of the lobby. She could almost touch the rough surface of the symbols…

Pain filled her mind. _"WILLOW!"_ Tara's voice filled her mind, snapping her back to the here and now… just in time for everything to go black.

OOOOOO

(( 28 hours 28 minutes remaining ))

Voices started penetrating the darkness, almost as if reaching out towards her. Finally, Tara's voice seemed to come to her, drawing her back into the light.

"_Willow? Baby, are you there?"_ The concern in her lover's voice, even through the telepathy spell and covering a distance halfway around the world, was easily apparent. _"Talk to me, Willow."_

"Willow?" Buffy's voice helped ground her back into reality.

"I'm okay…" Willow spoke both verbally and mentally as she took stock of her situation. She was on the floor, sitting (why does the back of my head hurt?). Nothing seemed immediately wrong, though the dust and dirt of the hotel now covered the back of her clothing. As she looked up, she could see that Buffy and Michael were hovering over her, the rest of the group spread out… watching for an attack from any direction.

"Buffy? What happened?" She asked instinctively. Luckily, when she pulled her hand away from the back of her head, there was no blood.

Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "Ask Tara. She's the one that really alerted us to any threat of danger. All we knew was that you started walking towards the edge of the room and then…_'pow'_… you were on the floor and Tara was screaming in our heads."

Michael leaned forward, and the smell of herbs filled her nostrils. "Try this." He smiled softly as he handed her a sticky substance on some wax paper. "It's herbal chocolate. It should help restore your equilibrium." (See? Some good came from the Harry Potter books. Chocolate cures everything.)

"Ooooh. Chocolate?" Vi called from somewhere behind Willow.

"Hold on." Willow smiled at the young warlock as she put the candy in her mouth. _"Tara?"_ She called mentally.

"_I'm here."_ Her lover's voice still carried an undercurrent of worry. _"They were ready for you. I can feel the aura of the spells through you… and this was s-set up just for you."_

"_Is that why Michael seems okay?"_

"_Yes. And why no one else knew anything was going on."_

"_But Faith saw…"_

"_No."_ Tara interrupted. _"She could see the blood… it is blood, right?_ (Eeww!) _but only a witch as powerful as you would have been able to get caught by their net."_

Willow smiled as she chewed on the chocolate in her mouth. It was okay, but not really sweet enough for her. _"Could you have been caught?"_

Even mind-to-mind, Willow could feel the laughter. _ "No… I'm not nearly as powerful as you… and it wasn't designed for me" There_ was silence for a few moments. _"Mr. Giles thinks that because of our link from the fight with the First, you m-might have still been caught even if I'd been t-t-there instead of y-you."_

"_I love you."_

"_Roger–Wilco. This is Tara saying I love you and over and out."_

Willow laughed at the sign off. (Definitely no more late night movie fests with old war movies. Why she'd wanna watch something like that anyway was beyond her.) She '_humphed'_ as she got off the floor. Spending too much time talking to Xander, that's what it was.

Buffy was still standing close by, her eyes darting around the hotel, as she obviously waited on Willow to make some type of report.

Willow shook her head to get her hair out of her face and starting checking her spell components. "Tara says this room is a spell geared for me." Everything seemed okay. (Nothing broken or spilt.) "Which means…"

"Which means they prepared for us coming." Faith said joined the conversation. Willow turned and watched as she tilted her head to one side. "Try making the call, B."

The witch nodded as Buffy walked over to the desk telephone. Willow remembered that the desk had been Angel Investigation's base of operations, with Angel's office in the back room behind.

"I've got a dial tone." Buffy said to the room as she brought the telephone up to her ear. "I'm gonna see if we can get through from here."

Willow glanced over at the others. Faith, Vi and Rona had taken watch points at the various entrances into the lobby. Xander and Caridad had moved towards the stairwell, leaving just her and Michael in the middle of the room.

"Hello?" Buffy suddenly said into the phone. She gave a thumb's up sign to the room. "Is this Wolfram and Hart? Yes. I need to speak to Angel, please." She waited while someone on the other end talked. Yes, I'll hold."

"Hi, can I speak to Angel, please?" Buffy started up again as she had apparently gotten to another roadblock.

"Yes, but it's very important that I speak with him."

"No, I really don't want to leave a message."

"Is there a mobile line I could get him at?"

"Well…" Her face scrunched up. "When will he… Harmony? Is that you?"

Willow jumped at the name. (Harmony? With Angel? Oh, boy!)

Buffy's voice became harder. "Look, it's Buffy. Yes. No, I'm not here to dust you."

The Alpha Slayer sighed. "Tell me where he is, Harm."

"Who? Hamilton?" Buffy looked at her. Willow could only shrug. (Who's Hamilton?)

"Fine."

Willow watched as Buffy hung up the phone, frustration clearly painted across her face. "Apparently, Angel and the others are all out of the office today. No forwarding numbers."

Faith walked over to Buffy. When she reached the blonde, Willow watched as the brunette put her hand on her shoulder, offering comfort. "Stick with the plan?"

"I'm not sure. They're not there."

"What if she was lying?" Xander asked. "I mean, Harm's never been exactly on the level… and now as a vampire, c'mon."

Willow nodded. "Xan's right. We need to get to Wolfram and Hart. Quick. We can wait for them there."

The witch turned as Vi stepped into the room. "Let's go. I didn't survive Sunnydale to die in LA."

"And it's already dark, here." Faith said as she looked out the nearest window.

"Well," Buffy said with a smile. "That would explain the darkness.

Rona stepped behind the Beta Slayer and looked over her shoulder out into the Los Angeles street. "Isn't it a bit early to be dark?"

"Maybe a nighttime eclipse?" Michael offered.

Willow considered. "It's possible. Eclipses are standard practice for something that could potentially be this big.

"But why didn't we know about it beforehand?" Xander asked from above them.

Buffy grimaced as she watched Xander and Caridad coming down the stairway from scouting out the upper floors. Flashing the light across the walls, she looked back over at Willow. "Do we alter the plan?"

Willow stretched her shoulders as she considered Buffy's question. "No. Let's handle this and get home."

OOOOOO

(( 28 hours 03 minutes remaining ))

Willow sighed as she continued waiting at the diner they had stopped at. Buffy and Faith had immediately decided that the hotel was not the safest place to wait, and had moved everyone as far away as possible without moving too far from their point of origin. Once the small eatery had been located, it took almost no time for the slayers to get everyone inside.

Now, each slayer was outside the perimeter while Buffy communicated with Giles via her cell phone regarding the plan. And while the magick telepathy would have been clearer, they had already endangered the mission too much with the use earlier.

The mission.

The plan.

Willow sighed quietly into her coffee as she considered everything that had happened in the past three months in the building and design of their masterwork plan of action in regards to the looming threat of LA. It had started with Andrew and his… acquisition (good word) of the slayer, Dana, from Angel's care.

Sure, any slayer found was theirs… the New Council of Watchers, but more than that, Dana was specifically listed in the Pergamum Codex: Dana was the next person that had been destined for the visions from the Powers That Be. (Apparently, insanity and prophecy went hand in hand.)

(That explained Cordelia Chase as a seer, at least.)

From what Giles and the other researchers could figure out, Dana was low on the list of potential slayers, so much so that her destiny had intermingled with that of the much more likely destiny of becoming the seer for the champion… Angel. (Or was Spike the champion?) Either way, Wolfram and Hart was no place for a seer, and with her becoming a slayer, the Council had every reason to make sure that she was carefully guarded and protected. So, Andrew and his pack of new slayers snatched Dana from the jaws of evil.

Once that was accomplished, the team began working with Dana to help her control and focus her seer powers, allowing for more of a direction and purpose, rather than the randomness that Angel seemed to employ through Cordelia… and prior to her, Doyle. It barely took a month for Dana to get the hang of it and start providing new prophecies of doom and gloom, most of which dealt primarily with the fall of LA.

The overall plan in the beginning had been a simple one: get to LA and stop the bad guys. (Simplicity often is the best way to go.) Of course, nothing really ever stays simple. Arguments started over whether Angel and Spike and their group ought to be told of what was happening in their law firm. Then the question of who to tell, not to mention the when or the how much of it came up. And before long, the question of even who was worth saving started being bantered around?

Eventually, some ideas started forming, but more detailed information was required. It was eventually learned that a historian lived near Buffy in Rome, and who might potentially provide the much needed information: the Immortal.

Willow shook her head at how Angel and Spike and almost ruined that portion of the plan. It had broken Buffy's heart, but she had been forced to avoid them both and keep up the ruse of being involved with the Immortal in order to prevent revealing her true motives, and make it look like she had chosen someone else over either one of them.

It had been Robin that had come up with the idea of passing along a message through Andrew to both of the en-souled vampires for them to back off and give Buffy space.

Willow smiled as she remembered that Dawn had wanted to do it, but there was no way anyone was going to let her near the two of them when they were so close to ruining all of their work. Which it almost was almost all for naught anyway…

One week ago, every oracle and seer, which and warlock, sorcerer and wizard around suddenly went into a fit about the coming of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. Every scrying glass and crystal ball all showed that LA was going to fall, and that Spike and Angel and the rest of that crew were somehow directly involved.

Which led to them all being here now, trying to find out how the LA guys were involved, and if any could be saved… before Giles and the coven nullified the entire west coast of the United States.

"Willow." She looked up to see Vi crouched down beside her. "It's time to go. Buffy and the others are outside waiting. You ready?"

Without a word, Willow nodded and headed for the door.

OOOOOO

(( 27 hours 39 minutes remaining ))

"What is it now?" Michael called from somewhere over to her left. Willow tried not to show a disapproving look at the whine in his voice. Maybe he hadn't been such a good choice for this mission. He'd seemed perfect at the time… another refugee from Sunnydale, and a magick user to boot!

The New Council was desperate for magick, especially as their grand library had been destroyed, leaving them vulnerable in ways they had never been forced to consider before. Michael had seemed a godsend. And he was good, no doubt about it, but all research and no action made for a very poor ally in this type of situation.

Willow watched as Faith and Rona took their cue from Michael's complaint and moved off further beyond the inexperienced warlock and checked out the noise he had started moving away from.

"Just a cat." Faith finally called as she and the other slayer moved back to the party.

Willow hid a smile behind her hand at the look that the young African-American slayer gave to Michael before resuming her place in their formation.

It's not that Willow could necessarily blame Rona for her ire at his squeamishness and cowardly attitude. She most definitely understood it. But she also saw the warlock's side, as well. Most of Willow's high school years had been in constant terror of being eaten, not to mention the torment she suffered under other classmates in the years before that.

No. This was more about their needing to get a job done, and the constant interruptions they were suffering through. Willow looked over at Xander… and more specifically, at the bandage tied around his left shoulder.

Something was definitely up. They couldn't get a taxi or anything to take them to their destination. Faith had suggested walking, as it wasn't too terribly far, which had seemed reasonable at the time, but then Hell seemed to break loose. (Literally.)

Less than an hour after leaving the diner, monsters had attacked them.

Now, she'd seen various types of demons before. Demons, vampires, werewolves (I wonder how Oz is doing?) and cyborgs… but what crawled out of the shadows were nothing less than full fledged monsters. There was no design or shape to their various forms. These creatures were haphazardly put together with no more to their goal than to destroy anything in their way.

That battle had been easy. Between Xander's quick reflexes with the rifle, and the superhuman speed and power of the slayers, it was short work of their opponents. Neither Michael nor Willow had even moved towards a spell before the battle had been finished.

Faith had laughed at her for being slow.

(The Beta Slayer wasn't laughing any more.) Not fifteen more minutes down the street and they were attacked again, and this time, the bad guys were a bit tougher. Michael had provided magickal cover while Willow had immobilized them all.

And that's how they were here now… a ragtag bunch fighting their way through the darkened streets of Los Angeles. There had been glimpses of civilians… (Riley speak now, huh)…. But they wouldn't come out of their homes, from under their beds, which was for the best, as they had neither the time nor the resources to start playing Pied Piper to the city.

Everything felt wrong in the city tonight… much like Sunnydale had the days just before it went boom. If she didn't know better, Willow would have thought that most of Los Angeles was deserted.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Michael drew nearer to her. "Willow?" He asked quietly. "Do you have any idea of how much further?"

"Not really." She whispered back, though with all of the noise that the city made, she wasn't sure why. "I can feel a general direction of where we need to go, but its Buffy and Faith that are leading the way." She smiled mischievously. "I just work here, ya know."

Michael smiled shyly back at her. "I'm just worried. I had no idea it would take so long to get from the Hyperion to the Wolfram and Hart office building…" She reached over and patted his shoulder as he trailed off, not even bothering to finish his thoughts.

"Guys." Caridad's voice rang out suddenly, bringing everyone to the alert, even Michael. "I think we're getting close."

"What's ahead?" Rona asked.

"I'm seeing… what is that? It's too far… I can't tell." Faith reamrked. Willow and Michael moved closer along with the rest of the party as they took in the sight.

Xander lifted the automatic's scope to his good eye and followed along the shape in the distance.

"Nope." He finally said, his voice carrying a note of surprise.

"Well? What is it?"

Xander's face pulled back from the telescopic lens and glanced over at Buffy. "We're here… and that's the good news."

"And the bad?" Willwo asked. "If there was good news, then there was always bad to go with it.)

"Wolfram and Hart." His voice was cold, emotionless. "It's been destroyed."

OOOOOO

(( 26 hours 45 minutes remaining ))

"Do you…" Buffy began.

Willow tried not to sign out loud at her friend's insistence of a response. She was having to wait right alongside her, trying as hard as she could to be patient. No amount of pestering was going to make things go any faster.

"Hear anything, Will?"

"Bout the same since you last asked me… two minutes ago"

"Sorry." Buffy offered, her eyes going back out into the darkness, searching.

Willow wasn't sure she liked this type of darkness. This was more than a typical magickal eclipse, but more like a near absence of light… and in this case, the sun.

They were currently standing on a highway overpass, approximately three blocks or so from the remains of the Wolfram and Hart building. Neither Buffy nor she was very happy waiting… but Faith had overruled every objection. But worse than that, all of her arguments had made sense, and that meant that the Alpha Slayer and the witch were left behind while everyone else recon'ed the surrounding area and then the building.

"So… "Buffy smiled at her. "If you could be anywhere else but here, where would you be? And no obvious answers."

Willow felt her eyes widen as she glanced at Buffy, who was still staring out from where the others had left earlier. (They hadn't played this since before the battle with Mayor Wilkins.) "Well, and since you asked, I'd rather be…"


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

**A Message from Below**

(( 25 Hours 49 Minutes remaining ))

Willow grimaced as she twisted out of the way as a heavy chunk of stone and insulation slid over the area where she had been crawling. Buffy turned to check and see if she was okay, and at Willow's wave of a hand, turned back to continue pressing forward. Once everything had stopped falling, Willow carefully followed.

"Be careful up here." Buffy called back.

Willow wanted to sigh, but breathing too deeply would start another coughing fit. (Not only was she working her way through the remains of an evil law firm that had been a front for the forces of evil, but also they probably had the walls filled with asbestos. Pure evil.)

Moving like this was near torture. She and Buffy were crawling through all of the debris and parts of the walls and above floors on their hands and knees, literally pushing through a dark cavern that threatened to collapse at any moment. She so was ready for a bubble bath and a foot massage. Or even a soft bed to sleep on. At this point, almost anything would have been better than her current situation.

Things had gone from bad to worse. Buffy had paced and worried after the others had all gone off to scout the situation… but after over an hour of waiting without a word, the Slayer was ready to chew through her sword rather than be patient any longer.

_("Willow, something's gone wrong." Buffy had said, her eyes scanning for any sign of their friends. _

"_What do you want to do?"_

_Buffy had drawn closer to the witch, whispering even though they had been alone. "A spell?"_

_Willow had moved her head up and down at the idea. "Yeah… but if anyone's looking, we might give away our location." She had started twisting her hair in thought. "The radio, maybe?"_

"_Yeah. I guess so.")_

So, Buffy had tried the two-ways that Xander had insisted be brought along for the mission. But after nearly fifteen minutes of trying the different channels, using the various code phrases Giles had insisted on… they were no closer to finding Faith, Xander and the rest.

Then things had dropped even further when Buffy had tried calling London for advice.

_("I can't get a signal, Will. Something's causing interference."_

_Willow had looked at the inky black sky and agreed silently. (Nothing in and nothing out.) "I'll do a quick summoning. Should be low risk… get something to show us the way."_

_The witch had sat on the edge of the remaining sidewalk along the road and began mentally preparing herself. "Who do you want to find?"_

_Her best friend considered only a moment before replying, her voice soft with worry. "Faith. Let's find Faith.")_

So, she had called for a spirit guide to lead them after the Beta Slayer. The little orb of light had come quickly to her request, and then soon sped out further towards the inner city. Willow and Buffy had wasted no time in jumping up and chasing after… (but that had been the easy part).

Ten minutes into the quest for the others, she and Buffy had run into resistance. It seemed every other block towards the Wolfram and Hart building was being patrolled by security guards, rescue crews and police officers. (But no news crews. No publicity.) Buffy had not wanted to be stopped, so they had been forced to sneak their way inside.

Taking much longer than they really had time to spare, they had finally followed the guide to the law firm's building… or rather the skeletal remains of it. (It looked like a bomb had gone off inside.) Luckily, the sphere of light had been willing to be patient and stayed with them even though she and Buffy had been forced to go around their obstacles, rather than take the direct path.

Eventually they had made it in through a side door, near what looked like an underground parking deck. From there, Willow and Buffy had started traversing through the rubble to find a way to the other side, to the inner workings of the building… at least, that was her hope. All she knew is that the spirit guide had continued through the brick and mortar in their way.

"Are we almost through?" She asked, the intense desire to sneeze from all of the dust threatening.

"Yeah… just a few feet more."

Suddenly, Buffy was gone from in front of Willow. (It must be the end!) Willow picked up her pace, so ready to be standing upright again and out from under the tons of building barely held above them, when suddenly a piece of the wall slid down, cutting her off from her friend. She tried getting leverage and pushing the obstacle out of the way, only to get her jacket hung on a wire…

"Grrr. Not now."

Buffy's voice, muffled, came from the other side. "Need some help, Will?"

"Oh. No. Not at all." Willow responded sarcastically. "I just love being stuck inside all of this junk, ruining the jacket Kennedy got me for Solstice."

The way in front of her started to clear, as Buffy's tiny hand appeared in front of her. "Take my hand."

Willow could've wept in joy once she was pulled free (free at last!). "There." Buffy said.

The redhead stood, taking a moment to stretch out her arms, hoping to relieve some of the tension that had built up in her arms and legs. Twisting her head to work out the kinks in her neck, she started shaking her arms and brushing herself off. She was mortified at the amount of dust and dirt that shook loose.

"I'm sorry about your coat."

At Buffy's words, Willow quirked he left eyebrow and then glanced down where her friend had indicated. Sure enough, her jacket was ripped… (no, ruined.)… beyond repair.

Willow smiled wickedly at the blonde slayer. "I'll just let you explain to Miss Kennedy Franklin why her present to me is ruined."

Buffy had at least the decency to blanche slightly, though only for a moment. "We'll get Giles and the Council to buy you another one. Claim it as an expense."

"Like those shoes you put on last month?"

"Ab. So. Lute. Ly." Buffy grinned. "Those were a definite need."

"How?" Willow asked in disbelief.

"I ruined my other shoes with cemetery mud."

(Oh.) Willow shrugged as she looked down and mourned the jacket. She loved this jacket. (And she looked so cute in it, besides!)

They both dropped the by-play and began looking around for the spirit guide. Willow felt her stomach drop as the room was completely dark, but for the illumination provided by their flashlights. The spirit guide was gone. Vanished.

"O-okay…" Willow looked at her friend. At Buffy's glance, Willow could only shrug. "Should I do another one?"

"Not necessary." A voice came from out of the darkness.

At the noise, both Buffy and Willow twisted their flashlights so their beams showed them a young woman, maybe a few years older than either of them, standing near the remains of the stairwell that once led to the upper floors. Willow noted that she was nicely dressed, although her clothing had seen better days.

The stranger was also wearing some of the ugliest jewelry Willow had ever seen. (Bad taste? Maybe.) She considered the multitude of necklaces and bracelets strung across the woman, each brandishing various sigils and talents, that the young magick-user nodded in understanding.

"Why the charms?"

Buffy had looked startled at Willow's bluntness, but after ruining her coat, she was in no mood for games right now. "Well?" She asked when the woman didn't answer right away.

The woman started and stopped several times, before finally sagging in defeat. "I guess there's no reason to not tell you. I'm hiding from some very powerful people."

Buffy pulled her sword dramatically from its sheath. "A word to the wise… you're facing two extremely powerful and not happy people that can see you."

"Wha… ?"

"Hands where I can see 'em." Buffy ordered.

The woman raised her hands above her head, to Willow now looking like a hostage out of an old bank robbery film or something. "I'm no danger."

"Really?" Buffy looked at her, obviously unconvinced.

Yeah. I'm a friend of Angel's."

"Really?" Buffy stated again. "A friend of Angel?"

At the woman's nod, Buffy spared a quick glance over at Willow, before lowering the sword… but only an absolute fool would've thought that Buffy wasn't ready and able to still kill her. Willow followed the Alpha Slayer's lead and relaxed… but the spell was still at the ready.

"So… _friend of Angel_, got a name?" Buffy asked.

"I'm Eve."

"Eve, huh?"

The strange brunette woman nodded. "Yeah."

"So, as a friend of Angel to another friend of Angel… where is he?"

Eve shrugged. "You just missed him. Maybe two hours gone. Possibly three."

Willow kept her gaze on Eve, but was aware of Buffy slumping. "C'mon, Buff. We'll get to them."

Eve perked up at Willow's words. "Are you Buffy? Buffy Summers?"

The Slayer shot Willow a look and then nodded to the brunette. "Yep. That's me."

She looked at the redhead. "So, you're Willow. Willow Rosenberg."

"I'm famous." Willow said sarcastically.

Eve started to lower her hands. "You both need to come with me. I have a message for you."

OOOOO

(( 25 Hours 22 Minutes ))

"_What do you think about all of this?"_ Buffy inquired mentally.

Willow shrugged outside of Eve's line of sight. Per her friend's plan in case they found themselves in a situation where they couldn't talk openly, Willow was to cast a telepathy incantation. (Covert communication at its best.)

Eve was standing a few paces in front of them, just outside of the elevator door. Willow was still a little unsure of trusting this person, no matter what she said… especially since the whole building had been without power (much less still standing in one solid piece), but the elevator going down still worked.

The room was completely white. Not like walls, floor and ceiling painted white, but like they were in a world full of nothingness, all glowing white. In fact, Willow wasn't even sure that there was a ceiling or floor, much less walls.

Willow focused her eyes on the blonde. The room made her feel… strange. _"I don't like this. I don't trust her. Remember that Andrew mentioned an _Eve _in his report."_

"_Yeah. But we need to find the others and get moving, and this may be our best chance."_

"_I guess so."_ Willow conceded. _"Can we just get this over with?"_

Buffy cleared her throat, catching Eve's attention. "So, why'd you bring us down here?"

Eve turned to face them. "There's someone here that wants to talk to you… to give you a message."

Willow and Buffy looked at each other, each wondering what Eve was talking about, when Willow felt the hairs on the back of her neck start to stand on end. (Magick! Powerful magick was happening.) "Buffy! Something's about to..."

Buffy's sword came up at the ready. Eve immediately raised her hands again, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. Willow looked past where their guide was standing and felt her nervousness rise as a shape began to take form.

"What's happening, Will?"

"I'm not sure…" The Wiccan witch felt the power inherent to her slowly filling her being, preparing to fuel a defense (or offensive, if necessary) incantation.

"Everything's fine." Eve said, though neither she nor Buffy moved their gaze from the form materializing.

Willow wasn't sure what to do, so looked over at her friend, hoping for some type of clue of what was coming next. Buffy kept staring between Eve and the source of the magick, keeping both of them in her sights. Willow kept glancing from Buffy to Eve and back, never giving any indication of what she was going to do.

"_Buff?"_

Before the Slayer could respond, the room (room?) seemed to... change (invert, maybe?). Willow experienced a moment of vertigo, then reality reset itself. Willow felt the magick that had been building suddenly drop away with a snap… leaving the room feeling full of life. Blinking away the tears that had formed, the witch shook her head to clear her vision and glanced up. A woman was now standing slightly to the left of Eve.

Buffy was now on guard, the sword unwavering as it was pointed at the new arrival.

"_That will not be necessary."_

"What?" Willow spoke, as both she and Buffy both jerked at the voice filling their minds.

"_The sword and the spells you have prepared. They will not be necessary."_ (Great. Telepathy wasn't going to be safe anymore.)

"_No."_ The voice sounded again. Willow looked up into the eyes of the woman, who shook her head sadly. _"I can see everything."_

The woman was beautiful. The witch took the moment available to study the strange woman. Skipping the fact that her aura was unlike anything Willow had ever seen before… she was made up of almost entirely magick (and something else?)… she seemed to fill the room.

Willow noticed that the woman's hair was white, very similar to what hers and Tara's had become during the Slayer Spell last year… but that was where the similarity ended. The woman was wearing white robes, the hem trailing to the floor. Her skin was near golden, almost metallic in appearance, with eyes that were bright and luminescent.

(This is not good.)

"Please," Eve said into the silence, maybe attempting to break the awkwardness of the situation. "She needs to talk to you. It's important."

"Uh huh. Okay." Buffy responded, the sword never wavering. "So talk."

"_The balance is lost."_ The woman started. _"Between the fall of Jasmine (Who? Who's Jasmine?) and the defeat of the Original Evil's minions, the forces of the Wolf, Ram and the Hart have taken this opportunity to align reality in their favor."_

Willow was surprised as Buffy finally lowered her weapon. "Okay…" She glanced at Willow before turning back to the woman. "So, what exactly are you wanting us to do about it? And who are you to tell us what to do?"

"_I am an envoy, and ambassador, if you will. I represent the powers above and below… to provide the avatars and champions guidance."_

"Guidance? Right." Buffy's tone was mocking. "You know Whistler, too?"

(Who was Whistler? First someone named Jasmine and now Whistler… she was soooo-oh stuck in the wrong season.) Willow felt that the Slayer was right and they definitely needed answers.

"_I know of the one you speak, though Whistler is not his name."_ The woman tilted her head. _"He was a minor envoy, paying off debts accumulated from years, as you measure time, of…"_

The woman seemed to be searching for a word. (I don't think English is her first language… though why use language when speaking mind-to-mind.?) "Karma?" She offered.

The self-proclaimed ambassador smiled in appreciation at Willow. _"Karma will do. He was released from his time." _Her attention moved back to Buffy. _"You are one of the ten avatars of light that have been chosen to restore balance to this time of reality."_

"Ten? Okay." Willow watched as Buffy started doing math in her head. (This might take a moment.) "We brought eight with us… so, Spike and Angel. That's ten." Buffy smiled. "Wanna just point us in the right direction?"

"_No. Do not mistake champions from destined avatars."_ The woman shook her golden skinned head from side to side. _"You are but two. You must find the others and combine to for the ring of ten."_

"Ring of ten?" Willow asked.

"_Yes. Ring of ten."_

"And why should we do that?" The Slayer inquired.

"_For that is the only thread of prophecy left available for righting the balance at this time for reality."_

"And if we choose another… uhmm… time of reality?" She shrugged at the look Buffy gave her.

"_Then you must wait for the next alignment, after the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart have won and the next ring of avatars and champions are chosen."_

"Next ring?" Buffy frowned.

"_Yes. After the current have fallen."_

"Fallen?"

"_You would say 'died.' Left this plane for the next."_

Willow felt the corners of her mouth turn down at the ambassador's words. (Well, on the bright side… they were at least getting answers to their questions.)

"What about Faith? Or Rona? Or anyone that is here with us."

The ethereal woman considered Buffy's words as her gaze seemed to float above them. _"One is of the Ring. Another stands to become a champion. The rest are of no matter."_

"No matter?" Buffy's voice was rising in anger. "What do you mean they don't matter?"

"_You take offense at my message, but I mean no slight. Just as spoken to the others, want changes nothing. Only truth."_

"Others?" Willow spoke out quickly. "Who? Our friends? Where are they? Where'd they go?"

The figure smiled indulgently. Willow could feel her own anger starting to get the better of her. (Think about Kennedy. About Tara. Stay calm.) _"The others were told where to find the current defenders of the light." _ She tilted her head. _"You wish to follow?"_

"Yes." Buffy spoke.

The woman smiled. _"We are pleased at your works, though not all that you accomplished so far was by design. Let your _new_ Council know that as long as the bargain is kept, we shall remain true to our word."_

Willow tried to ask another question, but she felt the whole of reality twist… (like a Twizzler)… before she got the chance. Everything that was white instantly turned orange, then violet… and then, Willow found herself outside the front door of the Wolfram and Hart building.

She turned quickly to see about Buffy, to find both the Alpha Slayer and the woman, Eve, rubbing at their eyes, both apparently alright. "Buffy?"

"Guess that was not the right thing to say."

Eve stepped closer, her face pale. "Not really. You asked for the audience to be ended, so you were put on the path you requested. To find your friends."

Buffy looked at Eve, and then turned her attention to Willow. "Can you find them?"

Willow nodded. "I'm not sure exactly why, but I know that they're that way." She pointed down a darkened alleyway between two buildings."

Buffy arched an eyebrow. Willow smiled. "Faith and Rona. Those two definitely. Maybe Michael and Xander, too, though it feels weird."

"Well," Buffy checked her pack of weapons. "Let's get going."

"Can I…?" Eve spoke as they began moving towards the shadows of the space between two still standing buildings.

At Buffy's look, Eve tried again. "Can I come with you? There's nothing left for me here."

Willow suddenly felt somewhat sorry for the law firm employee (maybe previous employee now). There was something in her voice that sounded like a lost, little girl.

As Buffy turned in question to Willow, the Wiccan shrugged in answer. Buffy rolled her eyes as she glanced over at the small brunette. "Yeah. Why not? More the merrier, I always say."

"When have you ever said that?" Willow asked, grinning.

The Slayer grinned back. "Starting now."

They both looked at the obvious gratitude in the strange woman's face. "All right. But try anything funny and you'll see why I'm called the slayer."

"Well," Buffy amended. "_A_ slayer, at least."

OOOOO

(( 19 Hours 10 Minutes remaining ))

Willow sighed as they exited the alleyway. Whatever the ambassador had done, Willow was still able to sense tat the others were somewhere ahead of them, though how far they were ahead, she had no idea.

(This was taking too long.) She glanced down at her watch. "Oh… uhmmm… Buffy." She couldn't keep the nervousness out of her voice.

Buffy turned. "What's up, Will?"

She started gesturing at her wrist, more specifically, her watch. She wanted to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out clearly. "Time… now… not then… and… late…"

"Will. Calm down. What's wrong?"

"Is everything okay?" Eve asked.

"My watch." Willow held out her arm. "Look."

Buffy gave her a strange look and then glanced at the Snoopy watch. Willow watched as she kept looking at the watch, disbelief apparent on her face. "But… how?"

At the Alpha Slayer's look, she shrugged. Eve, watching their exchange, looked at her own watch, and then nodded. "Lost time. A sometime side effect with meetings like that."

"Lost time?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes the meetings are near instantaneous even after talking for hours and sometimes you can be there for only a few minutes and a day and a half has passed."

Buffy was shaking her head. "We don't have time to waste. Why didn't you warn us?"

Eve looked completely bewildered. "I didn't know that there was a problem. Why? What's happened?

Buffy looked at the black, starless sky. "It's well after midnight here. We have less than twenty hours left." Buffy's face became panicked. "It is tonight, right? Not tomorrow, is it?"

Willow felt her whole body tense. (No. Goddess, please no!) She stared intently at her watch. There just wasn't enough light to see the date hand on her watch. "I can't tell…"

Eve's voice spoke as she lifted up her arm, her watch brightly illuminated. "No. It's still the fourteenth."

Both Willow and Buffy relaxed visibly. (That was too close!) "We've lost time now." Buffy spoke. "We're gonna have to double-time it here. Catch up with everyone and get to the guys, quick."

(Great.)


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

**Who Knew?**

(( 18 Hours 29 Minutes remaining ))

"Guys? Uhm, guys. A little… Oh, God! HELP!"

Willow turns towards the scream, her attention wavering from the spell in front of her. There's almost no way she can complete both the necessary components of the incantation _and_ get to Eve in time. The only slightly trusted companion was running directly towards her from a trio of demons. (Things had been going so well.)

"I've got it, Will!" Buffy was suddenly there, her axe cleaving through the neck of the first demon-monster-thing, a shower of (blood?) goo spraying across the wall of the building. (Yuck!) With probably the fiftieth disaster in (what?) the last thirty minutes averted, Willow nods to her friend and returns to focusing on the spell.

"Thank you, thank you, tha…" Eve is repeating over and over.

"Shhh." Willow shushes her.

"Why don't you join me over here." Buffy takes Eve back over towards the bodies of the demons. "Just what are these, anyway?"

"Well," Eve begins. "This looks like some crossbreed between …"

The witch was finally able to tune out Eve and all of the other distractions surrounding her, trusting that Buffy would keep her (and Eve, I guess) safe. Things had gone beyond the point of really, really sucky after crossing out of the downtown region of LA and into the lower end. Apparently, something major had happened.

While the forces of evil (that still sounds pretentious, no matter how true it is) had gathered in large roaming packs ever couple of blocks or so skirting between the remains of the larger buildings of the city… once the high rises weren't there anymore, the demons seemed to travel in smaller groups.

(Sure, that sounded good in theory, but you try fighting one or two demons every three steps you take.) Fighting always brought attention, so while they were fighting one or two here, there would be three or more others watching, waiting.

"Kay ne vorntew, jhi lore, mani fress." Willow spoke into the silence she had created, surrounding herself in the covering of her magick. It had been Eve's idea… her suggestion, anyway… that all three of them try to find some type of hiding spell.

She and Buffy had considered the risks, each of them worrying about calling the attention of the Big Bads to their location, if such might happen, just to avoid the little bads. Common sense had eventually won out, as even Buffy couldn't keep fighting them for long without some type of rest soon.

The tingle of magick settled over the witch, the sensation of a second skin settling on top of her actual skin tightening for a moment. For a near second, it almost felt as if it was too tight, too constrictive, and would squeeze the life out of her, before it finally settled out, expanding.

"Well?" Buffy was looking at Willow. The young witch took a small measure of satisfaction to see that both the Slayer and Eve looked slightly out of sorts. (Maybe they weren't thrilled with the way the spell had taken hold of them, either.)

Willow nodded. "Good as pie."

"Are you sure?" Eve asked, her expression clearly one of disbelief.

"Only one way to be sure…" Willow watched as Buffy walked out of the alleyway, stepping out into the open street. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and then Buffy smiled as she gestured for Willow and Eve to join her.

Stepping closer to her friend, Willow glanced the way the Slayer was smiling, and suddenly understood why she was smiling. Six pointy-headed demons were walking not four feet away, not paying them any mind whatsoever. (The spell worked!)

"I-impressive." Eve said from just behind the witch. "I'm not sure I have heard of anything like this working."

Willow looked between Eve and Buffy. "It will work." She caught Buffy's glance. "It's a bastardization of the spell Tara did on us when she thought she was a demon. I just reversed who could see what."

"Should we start killing them?" The brunette asked, but Buffy was already shaking her head.

"No. We can't worry about that. We've got to get to Angel and the rest."

Eve's face hardened as she stepped in front of Buffy. "I've told you… he's dead. Or as good as. He may've been able to fend off Hamilton, but he's going up against the Senior Partners, and that's not gonna end well for anyone not on their side."

"So," Buffy spat. "Why are you here, then? Why not suck up to the Senior Partners and be done with it?"

"I would, but they don't want me. I failed them, and I'll be lucky to get out alive." Eve slumped against the wall. "I can only hope to hang with you until ya'll show me a way outta here."

"You're lucky we're the good guys." Willow smirked.

Eve laughed, her voice cold and dark. "Sure. Right. Just like the good guys that took my Lindsey. Left me alone here."

Buffy shrugged at Willow's questioning gaze. _"Lindsey that Angel used to talk about?"_

Buffy checked her sword, trying to not to give anything away about their mind-to-mind trick to Eve. _"Can't be sure. Not gonna ask till we're in better shape."_ Aloud she asked. "How long will the spell hold, Will?"

"I can't say. Things are wonky here." Willow was going to say more when gunshots, a lot of them, suddenly filled the air. The demons that had just been standing so close to the three of them, not aware of how close the women were, turned towards the sharp sounds and started making their way down the street.

From where Willow watched, a lot of monsters were making their way towards the gunshots.

"Xander, maybe?" Willow asked.

"Let's go."

Willow watched as Buffy took the lead. At the look given by Eve, Willow just smiled and stretched her hand out in front of her, gesturing for Eve to take the middle, leaving her to follow behind.

They set out at a good pace, Buffy keeping them pushed to their limit (which meant that Buffy was having a nice, leisurely jog). The report of the rifle had ended after about four quick bursts, so either the gun was no longer necessary, or whoever had been shooting the gun was down.

Willow squinted her eyes through the darkness, the electricity in this section of town not working, hoping to catch some glimpse of movement, but to no avail. She couldn't see anything. The demons had vanished, and there was little in the way of interesting. Only their footfalls continued to echo off the houses and low buildings on either side of the street.

"Wait." Buffy called from the front of their three man line, bringing them up short of the next intersection.

"What is it?" Eve asked, whispering, though her voice carried. "Do you see something?"

Willow stepped up next to the former employee of Wolfram and Hart and then moved closer to her friend. "Buff?"

The Alpha Slayer didn't respond, but rather walked to her left, away from Willow and Eve, towards the remains of a small house. At Eve's look, Willow held up her hands in confusion and then followed after the blonde, not caring if Eve followed or not. As they drew closer to the dwelling, Buffy dropped to a crouch.

"What?" Willow inquired, suddenly wary.

Buffy was quiet for a moment, before finally answering her, though she never moved her gaze from the house. "Can you smell it? A gun was fired over here. And look at the walls…" Willow looked up, but could see nothing. "Bullet holes."

At the admission o what to look for, the spots suddenly came into focus, revealing the truth of her friend's observations. Willow's stomach was tying itself into knots with worry. "Is there blood?"

Buffy nodded, as Eve joined the conversation. "Human and demon blood, various patterns." She moved closer to the house, her eyes scanning the grass and hedge. After a careful look, she pushed carefully on the front door… Willow watched as it swung open

Eve turned and looked at Buffy, then Willow. "No one inside. Walls are down; back of the structure is gone. No bodies. And we've got spent rounds all over the ground. A high caliber weapon."

"Xander." Willow whispered. "Are there any tracks?"

"Both Eve and Buffy shook their heads, but it was the Slayer who spoke. "Nothing to indicate more than some people were here. There are also supernatural type tracks, but with all the moving tonight, who can tell how fresh."

Buffy didn't say anything more, just stood and moved back to the road. "C'mon. We still need to find the others."

Eve tilted her head at Willow's glance, then moved after the Slayer. Willow looked around one last time before trailing after.

OOOOO

(( 17 Hours 55 Minutes remaining ))

"Are we retracing our steps?" Willow asked. At Eve's inquiring glance, Willow sighed. "This is the way we came, through the city to where we met you."

"Where'd you start?" Eve asked, her voice ragged from the constant pace Buffy had them on.

Willow caught her breath as she kept watch. (The spell was still holding.) "The Hyperion. Angel's old place."

"Really?"

"Yeah." The witch furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why? What's wrong with that?"

Eve smiled. "That's where Angel was meeting his team after they took down the Circle of the Black Thorn. They were supposed to meet behind the old hotel."

"Wait. Circle of the who… what are y…?"

"At the Hyperion?" Buffy interrupted. Willow snapped her gaze towards Buffy. The blonde slayer had stopped running and had turned to face Eve.

"What do you mean _they were at the Hyperion_?"

Eve cringed at the Slayer's tone, apparently unsure how to respond. Willow watched in sympathy as Buffy started pacing back in forth, clearly agitated. "Are you telling me that we popped in right where we needed to be, not realizing that's where we had to be and then trekked all the way to you, but we never needed to…"

Buffy started mumbling, nothing near an understandable language, as Willow stepped forward. She stretched her arm out to her friend, hoping to calm her down. (We need you sane, Buff. Calm down. Please.) "Buffy?"

"This is why I suck at strategy games." Buffy finally shouted to no one in particular. "Point and clicks. That's me. Point and click. Show me the bad, I kill it."

"It's not your fault…" Willow tried to comfort her, but Buffy twisted away.

"Anything else that you know that I might need to know, now?" Buffy asked Eve. Thunder punctuated her words, as it began to rain. All three women took shelter under a store's awning, waiting to see if the rain would let up.

The brunette looked like she would have shrunk into herself if it had been possible. She eventually turned to look at Willow, obviously looking for aid, but in seeing none, looked back at Buffy and sighed. "Like what? I didn't know you were coming… or that you started at the Hyperion. Or as to what you ought to know." Her eyes welled with tears. "What do you want to know? I'll tell you anything… "

Willow watched as Buffy sighed. "Okay. Sorry. Just… " Buffy looked out as the rain seemed to pause. When the rain didn't immediately return, Buffy began moving back to the direction they were headed. "So, I need to head back to the hotel?"

Eve nodded. Willow almost laughed aloud as the strange woman seemed to finally realize that Buffy wasn't looking at her. "Yes. If you need a starting point, that's where you need to go."

Willow watched the back of the Slayer's head as she nodded and then started moving back towards the Hyperion. Eve stepped up next to Willow and kept pace with her. "You needed to come to see the Emissary, anyway."

(The who? Oh! The manifestation from that white room dimension thing.) "Buffy. She's right. We'd have never known about the ring of ten, otherwise." Willow sighed as Buffy just kept moving, not responding.

"Did I do something wrong?" Eve asked Willow.

Willow considered her possible answers, before looking at the young woman. "See it from our point of view. We've been trying to get in touch with Angel and the others for weeks. We get here, get the run around from Harmony, get down there to find the place trashed. And it turns out we could've just waited where we were and they would have come to us?"

The brunette nodded slowly. "Well… you really did just miss the fight that destroyed the building. Angel was fighting Hamilton… almost lost, too, but then Conner helped him out."

"Who's Conner?" Buffy asked from up front. (Apparently, she's been listening.)

Eve was silent for a moment. "A… a friend, I guess you could say."

"He with Angel?" Willow asked.

"I doubt it. Angel would've sent him away before the big fight."

Willow considered asking more questions, but was brought up short when she could make out the faint silhouette of the Hyperion rising just a few blocks away. This close to their destination, Buffy stopped alongside the remains of a stone wall and glanced meaningfully back at Willow. "I think we should circle around towards the back."

"Okay." Willow agreed.

Willow took a moment to reinforce her hiding spell with her own life force. It was not something she normally liked to do, especially when there could be a major fight at any time, but their stealthy-ninja-like moving had saved them a lot of trouble. All three women moved across the street, making it to the alley behind Angel's hotel.

At first, Willow was disappointed at the emptiness of the spot, but Buffy's attitude soon shook that notion. Buffy was carefully looking at the fence along the side of the back road, while Eve began carefully studying the ground.

"I think that a lot of people… humans… went that way." Eve said quietly, her arms pointed down the road.

Buffy nodded, her gaze moving up to meet the witch's eyes. "Do you still feel Faith?"

Willow considered, her aura reaching for that tell-tale line of magick that had been forced upon her by Eve's so-called Emissary. "Yeah, but it's faint. I think my concealment spell is interfering with it. I hadn't even realized it was weaker till you said something."

Buffy nodded as she looked down both directions of the alley's road. "And this giant battle… where is it?"

"Not… that…" A voice suddenly came from the direction Eve had indicated. "Far."

Willow almost let loose with a lightning bolt, when Eve ran forward towards the stumbling figure, preventing a clear shot.

Buffy readied her axe, when Eve turned to the two of them, her eyes frantic. "This is Gunn. An ally of Angel. He's hurt."

Willow felt her eyes go anime-wide as she realized that Eve was right. (It was Gunn!) "Buffy." She yelled as she moved forward to reach the man. He was soaked to the bone, his clothes dark. She felt her breath catch as she realized that a lot of the darkness wasn't from the rain, but from blood.

"Not hurt…" Gunn spoke quietly, dropping a strange-looking weapon. "Dying."

Buffy was suddenly there, helping lower Charles Gunn to the ground. Willow pulled at her jacket, already ruined, and wiped at the blood coming down his chin. "Don't talk."

"Gotta get to A-Angel and to t-t-the others…" He whispered.

"Where are they?" Buffy asked.

"Other side of the h-hotel…" Gunn replied. (He was losing blood fast!)

"Will? Can you do anything?"

Willow looked at Buffy, not sure of what to say. "I can't." She wanted to cry. "Michael prepared for the healing. I was here as a heavy."

"You?" Gunn coughed up blood as he tried to laugh. "Still a s-slip of a girl. 's my t-time, anyway. Payment for m-mistakes."

"We'll get you somewhere safe…" Buffy leaned down to pick the man up, but he waved his hand in front of her.

"Too late for me…" Willow watched the light fade from his eyes. "Help Ang…"

Willow caught his head as he slumped over. (He's dead.) The redheaded witch looked up at Eve, whose expression was near unreadable. "He's gone."

Thunder rumbled high overhead, as the sound of the rain returning started filling her ears. It wasn't going to be long before they, too, were soaked from the coming downpour. Willow held her hand out, as she was considered the first few drops that she felt hitting her shoulders.

"Buffy carefully laid the young black man on the ground and pressed her lips to his forehead. At Willow's questioning look, Buffy smiled sadly. "He died, fighting the good fight. A warrior. I wanted to pay the only respect I could give him."

"Gift?" Eve asked. Willow already knew the answer.

"That he not dies in vain." Buffy rose, seemingly oblivious to the coming rain. "Get you stuff ready, Will. It's time to save the world."

OOOOO

(( 17 Hours 19 Minutes remaining ))

Willow glanced around the hotel, glad that the blood magicks could no longer affect her. (They still make me nervous, though.) Buffy stepped out of the old office that Angel had used, her eyes rimmed red from unshed tears.

"Everything okay?" Willow asked.

Buffy nodded as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I put Gunn in the office. He should be safe in there till we get back."

Normally, she would have questioned Buffy's idea, but didn't want to cross her after the look she had given Willow earlier. Instead, Willow leaned over and pulled her backpack off from her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Eve asked from the window she had been keeping watch from, her eyes wide.

Willow sighed as she unzipped the bag and began looking through the reaming supplies. "I'm preparing to do as Buffy said: save the world."

Eve stared at her, shocked. "That's crazy!"

Willow nodded. "If what we talked about is right, what you've told us is true, then Angel has been fighting the forces of the Wolf, Ram and Hart the whole time. And now he's out there, with no back up."

Buffy nodded as she glanced at Eve. "Now he has back up. Us."

"I just don't understand."

Buffy shrugged. "Evil often doesn't. You want a weapon to fight with or you gonna hang back?"

Eve hung her head. "I've never been good at fighting. Not my thing."

Buffy smiled and handed her a near empty satchel. "Good. Hold this for me."

Willow smiled as she rose back to her feet, her hands full of glass vials, each their own part of a spell, that she began carefully putting in the various pockets of her jacket. "And can you get my back pack, too?"

Eve shook her head as she picked up the empty backpack from the floor at Willow's feet. "You're both out of your minds."

Buffy quirked her eyebrow at the woman. "Surely you're not saying we won't win?" She glanced at Willow. "This girl nearly destroyed the world all by her lonesome."

The redhead smiled. "And her…" She cocked her head towards the Slayer. "She's saved it more times than most people can count."

"Of course we're gonna win." Buffy flashed Eve a smile that nearly blinded Willow. (We are so going to get killed!)

"Wait here." Willow said as she looked around the lobby of the Hyperion. "You should be as safe in here as anywhere else. Without waiting for a reply, the witch took off running for the back door. She could here Buffy behind her, easily keeping pace.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

**You Want the What?**

(( 17 Hours 04 Minutes remaining ))

"Get down." Buffy whispered insistently. Willow wasn't sure what was up, but she immediately followed her friend's order and jumped behind the dumpster. From their current location, they could watch several directions behind the hotel, hoping to catch some sign of Angel, Spike and the others… with the added benefit of having some cover from the rain.

She was happy to see, after only a few moments, a figure running down the alleyway. For a moment, Willow was unsure as to the identity of the approaching figure, but soon his features were illuminated by one of the few remaining street lights from behind where she and Buffy waited. It was Angel.

Willow spared a glance at Buffy. The Slayer seemed relieved to see her old flame still alive, but he had definitely looked better. Angel's clothes were tattered and frayed, giving evidence to the fight that Eve had described to them earlier. There was a sword in his hand.

Angel moved quickly and with apparent purpose as he came down the alley, his eyes taking in every corner that he passed. Buffy pulled Willow back as his gaze moved in their direction, but his eyes passed over them, moving down further, until he finally reached the alley's end at a chain-link fence. Once there, Angel turned and looked back up the rough street, worry lining his rain covered face.

"Boo." Came a voice from the shadows to Angel's right, not far from where she and Buffy were waiting. Willow smiled as Buffy's whole posture suddenly stiffened.

"Anyone else?" Angel asked.

"Not so far. You feel the heat?" The blonde vampire asked.

"Willow?" Buffy nudged her. "Why didn't Spike see us if he was already here?"

Willow grinned. "The concealment spell."

"But it didn't work on Gunn."

"Of course not." Willow loved being right. "He was human."

Willow turned back to the conversation between the two vampires (Who would've ever believed those two could have a civil conversation?), hoping to pick back up on the direction of what they were saying.

"Finally got ourselves a decent brawl." Spike was looking forlorn at a cigarette in his hand. Willow had to hold back laughter as he seemed to realize he couldn't smoke it while it was raining.

"I'm getting worried about the others." Angel spoke, as both continued to keep watch on the alley. Both turned quickly as a figure jumped down from the fence behind them. Willow had to grab Buffy's arm to keep her from rushing.

"That's Fred." Willow whispered. "But she looks… different." (Scary.)

Buffy nodded. "Like the blue, though."

"Wesley's dead." Fred spoke as the vampires looked at her. Willow was not surprised to see that Angel looked heartbroken. Spike hanging his head, however, did seem strange.

"I'm feeling grief for him." Fred Burkle said when neither of the men offered her comfort. (What is going on? Fred was a little weird, but nothing like she was acting now.) "I can't seem to control it. I wish to do more violence."

There was a loud clamor suddenly, causing Angel, Spike and Fred to look down the alleyway. Willow followed the direction of everyone's look, watching as forms… demons… started coming out of the storm clouds. (Oh. My. Goddess.)

Spike barked a laugh. "Well, wishes just happen to be horses today."

"Among other things." Angel agreed. "Though not the wish I would have chosen for myself."

Willow watched as Spike grinned. "Me, neither."

"Do we wait on Gunn?" Angel asked.

No one answered. The witch watched as Angel looked at the approaching crowd. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands, of demons of all sorts, shapes and sizes. Willow heard as Buffy sucked in her breath as a huge winged dragon flew angrily toward them overhead.

"Haven't seen one of those since…" Buffy smiled.

"You died." Willow finished.

Buffy looked at her. "An omen?"

Willow shrugged. Buffy nodded and stood. "Drop the spell, Will."

Not even questioning her friend, Willow stood and released the spell. She took some small satisfaction when all three of the people they had been observing jumped in surprise at their sudden appearance.

"Buffy?" Angel asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Bloody 'ell." Spike threw his unsmoked cigarette on the ground. "Wot the blazes you doin 'ere?"

Buffy walked closer. Willow trailed behind, but kept her eyes on Fred. (No. Not Fred. Not anymore.) "What? You guys have an end of the world bash and not invite me?"

"You are Buffy. Summers. Slayer." The woman that looked like Fred glanced at Angel and then Spike. "The one you both love."

"Smooth, there Fred." Buffy remarked.

Willow knew she'd been right when Spike moved closer. "Not Fred any longer. This," The peroxide blonde vampire swept his arm out. "This is Illyria."

"I was once…" Illyria began, but Angel swept his arm out in front of her, silencing her. Willow watched as Buffy considered the strange, blue woman, especially at the venomous look she gave to Angel.

"Uhm. Introductions later, maybe." The tall, dark and handsome vampire suggested. "We do still have bad guys to face."

"Gunn's dead." Buffy stated bluntly.

Both Spike and Angel seemed to take her words like physical blows, while Fred… no, Illyria… simply nodded. "His likelihood of surviving was not high."

"We've put him in the Hyperion." Buffy looked at Spike and Angel with sympathy. "Eve's watching over him."

"Eve?" Spike questioned, his eyes flicking over to Angel. "Thought she was gone."

Angel shook his head, then glanced around. "You do realize that the bad guys are getting awfully close."

Willow felt her face warm as she realized that they had apparently forgotten the horde of demons headed their way. She turned when Spike stepped in front, twisting his neck to apparently loosen up. "Okay. You take the thirty thousand on the left... "

"I didn't want you to be here, you know." Angel looked at Buffy. Willow smiled when he finally looked at her, too. "That means you, as well."

"Too bad, so sad." Willow joked. "We never miss the good parties anymore."

Angel nodded as he kissed Buffy on the cheek, then stepped forward next to Spike. The blond vampire looked back at Buffy and winked. "I'll give you my kiss once the bad guys are down, pet."

Willow watched as Buffy and Illyria followed. Willow stepped behind all of them, wondering exactly how this one was going to succeed. They all stared at the army of demons approaching.

"In terms of a plan?" Spike asked

Angel thought for a moment. "We fight."

"Bit more specific, mate."

Willow could see Angel stepping further to the front, his arm testing the weight of the sword. "Well, personally, I kind of want to slay the dragon."

"Figures." Spike laughed.

"We have more as back up, ya know." Buffy looked at them. "We have a plan… get you guys and the rest of our team outta here."

"Regroup? Where?" Spike asked.

Angel looked impatiently at the Slayer. "You taking over here?"

Buffy turned and sighed. "Why the attitude, Angel?"

Willow watched as Angel drew closer to Buffy. "Whenever we called for help… you told us to go away. Now, suddenly, you show up and we're supposed to just fall in line?"

"Yeah. That pretty much sums it up."

"Look, Buffy." Angel was clearly upset. "I don't want to pull rank here, but…"

"There's a plan to magickally nuke this place." Willow interjected before things went too far.

"Wha?" Spike asked (once again showing off that he was _definitely_ the brains of the outfit.)

"A true strike." Illyria added, almost looking as if she approved of the idea.

Angel looked thoughtful. "Why haven't you already?"

Buffy glanced at Willow, then back at the vampires. "I needed to get you out of here first." Buffy indicated with her chin for the witch to get started.

The demons were dangerously close, now. Willow turned to look and was able to make out several different kinds and families of demon, her time as research assistant to Giles finally paying off. She paused to offer a silent prayer to the skies, the rain still pouring, though no one seemed to care.

"_Tara?"_ She called mentally, praying that her message got through. _"I love you."_

Willow stepped away from the rest of the group and started flexing her fingers. "Los du hem'parae. Kie nin grict xue!" The witch felt the power fill her, enveloping her in the cosmic awareness that came upon drawing upon the elemental life force of reality.

"Why's her hair gone white?" Spike asked from somewhere behind.

Her gaze was only against the coming attackers, but she smiled maniacally as she could feel Angel stunned into silence, the rush of power crashing against the coming armies, yet still spilling over to release a wave of sheer power that even those behind her could feel. There was no way to stop them all, but the magicks released were enough to take out the front line… and give the rest pause, by sealing (albeit, temporarily) the portal.

"This human is worthy to serve me." Illyria spoke into the silence. Willow ignored her as she focused on strengthening the barrier to hold the bad guys off a little longer. (There are so many!) Once the spell was completed, Willow turned and smiled faintly, her body having to become used to the confines of reality once again.

"Buff…" She made out the one word, before Angel and Buffy were suddenly there, catching her and preventing her from smacking against the pavement.

Willow began to black out, but not before she could hear Angel concede (He sounded upset. Probably realizes with Buff here, he's no longer in charge!) "Fine. We'll try it your way…"

"Bout time som'body got through 's thick skull."

It was almost enough to bring a smile to her face before there was nothing.

OOOOO

(( 14 Hours 48 minutes remaining ))

"And I'm telling you again that this is on the up and up!"

"I can't believe that. Not after…"

"After what _I've_ done? Me? You have a lot of nerve saying that to me."

(Somebody was shouting. No. Not just somebody, but a lot of some bodies. As in _lots and lots_ and _too many of voices_.) Willow brought her hand up to her forehead, surprised but not unhappy to find a wet cloth pressed to her forehead. She started to open her eyes, but shards of light created pain that convinced her to keep her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry about Lindsey, but…" (That was Angel.)

"No you're not." (And there was Spike.) "Don't play at being nice with this git. She's one of them. The bloke got what he bloody 'ad coming."

"Look, I helped Buffy and Willow… took them to the Powers That Be." (Eve now.)

"Right. Like the powers were ever in the basement of Wolfram and Hart." (Xander? Xander!)

"That was the Conduit." Angel sighed. "One of the ways of communicating with the Senior Partners. No way was that the Powers That Be."

Willow swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to sit up. Her arms felt weak, but she knew that time was still ticking away, too quickly.

"Guys?" She called out weakly.

"Will!" (Xander again. Goddess, but did he have to shout!) "Are you okay?"

Willow nodded as Xander's hand was suddenly there, helping support her as she lifted her head off of the bed. (Bed?)

Angel's voice answered her unvoiced question. "Benefits of owning a hotel. Plenty of crash space."

"Ah." (What else could she say?)

Willow finally opened her eyes and glanced about the dark hotel room. Everyone seemed to be situated around her in the bed. Spike and Angel had been near the door, arguing with Eve about something. Xander was by the bed (he looked terrible.) and Buffy stood behind him. There was no one else around.

"Where are the others?"

After exchanging several looks, it was Xander that finally brought his face closer to hers. "Michael's gone. Something came out of nowhere and took him."

"Willow felt the tears coming. "No chance?"

Her friend shook his head. "No. Faith found what was left of him about four blocks from here." Xander looked a little green. "He's dead."

"Faith's back?" Willow asked.

Buffy leaned over as Xander stood. "Yeah. She showed up about ten minutes after you did your thing. She and Caridad are downstairs with Vi, keeping watch." The Slayer smiled conspiratorially. "Nice job, by the way."

"Not to mention keeping an eye on Illryia." Xander added.

"Yeah." Willow sat upright in the bed. "Oh, my gosh! The spell."

Everyone in the room was suddenly focused on Willow as she looked down at her watch. (What time is it?)

"What's wrong, Will?" Buffy asked, every muscle in her body tense and ready for action.

Spike came over and sat on the edge of the bed. "C'mon, Red. Give us the skinny. W'as up?"

"The spell. My spell. It won't last for more than an hour or so."

Buffy visibly relaxed back in the chair she had taken over from Xander. Spike patted Willow's leg, his whole demeanor seeming to take a breath, as well. In fact, the entire room was a lot calmer than Willow wanted them to be.

"What? What's going on? Why are all of you so calm?" Willow felt like she was shouting. (Was she?) "We don't have a lot of time. The spell's probably fallen… This is serious."

"And we're taking it seriously." A familiar voice came from the doorway.

The red-headed witch looked up to see Kennedy walking into the hotel room. The young slayer was smiling, a huge grin on her face, though Willow knew her girlfriend well enough to tell that it was fake. Something was up, seriously up.

"Good to see you decided to stop napping and join us." Kennedy teased.

Willow smiled, happy to see her lover, even under the circumstances. "Yeah, well. I was just waiting for you to join me, but you never showed. Might as well get up."

Kennedy pushed Spike out of the way negligently, and didn't even pay any heed to Angel's scowl. (That's my vampire slayer.) Kennedy took position where Buffy vacated, not wanting to apparently be between the two lovers, and gave Willow a hug.

"Mmmmm." Willow purred into Kennedy's shoulder. (Now if only Tara was here… TARA!) Willow pushed Kennedy back, her eyes accusatory. "You left Tara!"

Kennedy was initially shocked looking at Willow's anger, but seemed to calm down once she realized what was going on. She glanced over towards Buffy and then Xander before looking back at Willow. "I assumed they'd have told you… or that you'd figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

"That I'm here, too." Tara said from the doorway. Willow felt a smile come unbidden to her face. (Tara and Kennedy.) "Who else could reinforce that pathetic shield you set up."

Willow felt her smile become a grin at Tara's mocking tone. If Tara could joke right now, then things had to be at least okay, if not safe. (But why is Kennedy stressed?) "Is everyone here?" Willow asked.

It was Buffy that took over. "If you're ready to join the rest of us, then I can fill you in."

Willow smiled apologetically and started getting out of bed. Both Tara and Kennedy were there to help her...she was still weak from the binding spell… and could use all the assistance she could get. "So, Buff… where do we stand?"

Buffy smiled and looked at all three of them. Willow glanced towards the door to see everyone else was going ahead and heading towards the lobby, leaving just the four of them to talk. "You've bought us some time. Enough that we were able to bring the people on this side together, as well as bring in our reinforcements."

"You guys?" Willow asked, looking at both Tara and Kennedy.

"Not just them." Buffy spoke, drawing Willow's attention back to the Alpha Slayer. "Tara had to come to help with whatever you did. And Kennedy refused to let Tara come here without her, so they're here. Giles sent fifteen more slayers, all volunteers, as well as a few warlocks to help out with any stragglers."

"And we lost Michael?"

"Rona, too." Kennedy said from the side. (Ah. That would be why Kennedy is upset. She and Rona had been close.)

"So, what's the plan?" Willow asked.

Buffy glanced at the two women on either side of the redhead, before leaning close. "Giles wants us to figure out how to stop this thing, and quick. The coven already released the bomb spell… it'll be here at the agreed upon time."

"We need to e-evacuate everyone." Tara added.

Willow considered Buffy and Tara's words for a minute. "How's Angel taking all of this?"

"Angel's fine with it." Angel's voice came from the doorway. (Guess he didn't leave.) "Sure, I'd still like to be in charge, but…"

"But who's going to argue with a hotel full of slayers." Buffy finished for him.

Angel smiled. "Well, at least I've dated one of the slayers this time…"

"Better be me you're talking about, buster."

Willow turned her attention to the dark vampire. "I actually meant about you vacating your city."

"Oh." (Did this guy never smile?) Angel watched Willow, but she felt that his words were for Buffy. "I expected to be dead, gone today. My last good deed. What's a trip back to merry ol'England?"

Buffy moved closer to Angel. "Why didn't you call? Return any of our messages?"

Angel looked like he was about to answer, but then changed his mind. He sat there quietly, brooding (like he always did), not saying anything as he turned and went back out the door. Willow quirked an eyebrow and looked at Buffy. (What is going on?)

"I don't know." Buffy waited to see if Angel would come back. When he didn't, she responded to Willow's unspoken inquiry. "Both he and Spike are acting weird… giving me space. It's like they're afraid to come near me…"

"Neither wants to be rejected." Tara spoke. "I've never seen you with Angel, but I have with Spike. He loves you… and he's afraid of rejection."

Willow nodded. "And I've seen you with Angel. You were the first real thing of good he was ever in love with… maybe the only person he has ever truly loved. How can you expect him to handle rejection?"

"But they're being all… men-like."

Kennedy laughed. "Hence their being called _men_."

Buffy threw her hands in the air. "How about I just join you guys?"

Willow turned to see Kennedy arching her eyebrow at Tara, then glanced to see Tara doing the same. (These two are getting scarily similar.) Kennedy finally spoke. "Sorry. Can't do it."

Tara picked it up as Kennedy stopped talking. "Willow'd fall too hard for you as you've known each other for too long, and then…"

"Tara and I would have to kill you both." Kennedy finished.

Willow sat there flabbergasted as Buffy started laughing. Willow felt like the butt of the joke as both Tara and Kennedy joined her, and soon all three were laughing hard enough to draw inquiring looks from Xander from outside in the hallway.

Willow finally dropped her hands from her two lovers and moved towards the door out. With as much dignity as she could manage, trying to keep a straight face, she glanced back to the women that meant the most to her. "If you hyenas would like to join me, I'll be seeing as to where we stand. Downstairs."

At least all three had stopped laughing as they ran to catch up with Willow at the top of the stairs.

OOOOO

(( 14 Hours 07 minutes remaining ))

"Any more questions?" Tara asked. Willow smiled as she watched her lover and confidant sitting confidentially on the lobby desk. The brown-haired witch had just finished explaining to Angel, Spike. Illyria and Eve (plus all of the British Team that hadn't been in on the original plan) about Giles' and Robin's plan to drop the equivalent of a magickal tactical nuclear bomb on Los Angeles.

(To say that Angel was stunned was to say that Spike used a touch of color in his hair.)

"And we have…?"

Tara glanced over at Angel. "Approximately fourteen hours."

"Approximately?" The dark-haired vampire asked.

Tara nodded.

"And what if we need an exact number?" His voice was cold.

Willow started to jump to Tara's defense, but Kennedy put her hand on Willow's arm, gesturing for her to wait. Tara never wavered or looked away when confronting Angel. "Then ask a different question."

"Right-y ho." Spike laughed as he patted Angel on the back. "So, we got this time to do what, exactly?"

"Well…" Tara sighed aloud. "That's where things are tricky. The original plan was to get you and Angel and whoever you guys wanted out of LA. The hope was that you'd be long gone before the bomb would go off."

"Right." Spike took a drag off of his cigarette. "Preciate that, luv." Tara smiled. (She is so beautiful when she smiles like that.)

"And now?" Angel's voice brought Willow out of her thoughts. She watched as her lover jumped down from her seat on the desk and started pacing ion front of the crowd. "That's where things get…"

"Strange." Buffy offered.

Angel turned to look at the Alpha Slayer, his mood not very good at the moment. (What's his problem? We came to rescue him.) "So, explain it to me."

"Eve took us to the basement to meet with…"

Willow had been there to meet the celestial ambassador (or whatever she was). She had no reason to listen to the explanation. Instead, she focused her energy on testing the barrier now lying right outside the Hyperion's back lot… currently the only thing standing between a doorway into a demon-filled world and this one.

As her mind's eye focused toward moving outwards, she felt Kennedy wrap her arms around Willow, protecting her. (They worked so well together. Kennedy always seemed at the ready to protect her… or Tara… when there was magick to be done.) Willow paused momentarily to give the room a last look as she astrally projected out of her body.

"_Be careful, my love."_ Tara sent out. (Even she knows what I'm doing! We've been like this ever since the three of us were alone together for the Slayer Spell… that's got to be it.)

Tossing those thoughts away for consideration later, Willow allowed her consciousness to divide. On one hand, she was seeing everyone still in the hotel lobby, discussing the various aspects of the plan while Buffy relayed their meeting with some higher being… but on the other side of it, Willow was moving through out of the building, allowing for her senses (magickal and mundane) to carefully examine the barrier.

(Not bad. If I'd known about this type of thing, I might've been able to stop Buffy from closing Glory's gate…) Willow brought her vision up to the edges of the barrier. The whole thing might've looked impressive, but it had been much smaller than anyone other than Tara might've realized.

What she and Buffy and the others had seen, out in the alley behind the Hyperion, had been a near perfect doorway from a Hell Dimension into this one. It had actually only been at the last second that she had realized it, and been able to throw up the patch… But it was a patch only.

It wouldn't hold much longer, even with Tara's combined might added to it. And with the covens associated with the new Council already working on the final solution, they needed to come up with something quick.

Willow flinched as the barrier's edges sparked. (The demons are testing its strength. It's definitely not going to hold much longer.)

Willow continued to study the lock when something on the other side, behind the demon horde caught her eye. She moved as close to the barrier as possible, without risk to herself, and realized that they were in more trouble than they had previously thought.

(The bomb won't work. If this gate isn't closed before it goes off, it's going to be swallowed into the dimensional fissure… feeding the demons coming through, while clearing a path of any resistance that the good side might have prepared.)


	15. Chapter 15

_Quick Author's Note…_

_The Holiday Season is definitely upon us. I will need to take a few weeks off for getting family stuff taken care of, as well as a few other minor inconveniences… such as finishing Dragon Quest VIII. Seriously though, just think of this as the halfway point of the season._

_Thanks for the reviews._

OOOOOO

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

**She's a King?**

(( 13 Hours 49 Minutes remaining ))

Willow felt her aura settle back over herself. It took a moment to recalibrate, as her awareness and point of view had been much different separated. She took a deep breath in, allowing the full taste of the stale air within the hotel to fill her lungs.

"Fine, then!" Spike was yelling. "Just who gets to be these so-called bloody ten?"

"Avatars?" Hilary, one of the new slayers brought over, suddenly spoke up. "I know that you're in charge, but this sounds off to me. Too fantastical."

"Fantastical?" Faith spoke up from across the room. "You got sup' powers and fight vampires. Ya got witches and warlocks that you work with and fight against. An' ya decide to question about who gets ta be a avatar?"

Hilary's expression reddened, but she didn't back down. "But she's talking about gods."

"Well, there was Glory…" Xander offered from his seat near Buffy. "She was a god. A badly dressed, pain in the ass, hell-god, but still a god."

"Nice legs, tho." Spike offered with a grin.

Willow started to speak, but decided to hold off as suddenly Illyria moved away from her spot between angel and Spike. As the blue (tinted?) woman moved further into the center of the gathering, a lot of the chatter going on among the various individuals in the room ceased. Once the lobby was quiet, Illyria began to speak.

"I was once god-king of the primordium, shaper of things, and ruler of this world." (You could hear a pin drop in here.) "My armies decimated all that even thought of opposing me. All that did not worship me were either beholden to me or feared me beyond all others. I walked seven universes and realities at once, never fearing… for I was supreme."

Willow watched as no one interrupted the former God King. "That which you fear, what you naively think you stand to fight against, to defeat, were once but slime in the muck… barely more than humanity… something that was not even worthy of my presence."

(Didn't Giles mention something about this? A reincarnation from a well or something?) The being inhabiting Fred continued. "Do not doubt that more is out there. You revel in victories won over the cast offs, the echoes and memories of what once truly ruled here."

Hilary, as well as the other slayers that had sided with her, were all silent as they regarded the former God-King Illyria. Willow shook her head as the final cobwebs and fuzziness from her astral trip seemed to finally drop away, leaving her refreshed and ready for more.

"So… we run away then?" Vi asked. Willow nodded at seeing the younger slayer in the crowd.

"No." Buffy stepped up next to Tara. "We fight."

Angel nodded. "We can't let Wolfram and Hart win this. Too much is at stake."

"What do we do then?" Willow wasn't sure that she recognized the voice. The room was too full of slayers and magick users to keep up with everyone.

"I think we need this ring of ten." Willow decided to join the conversation. "I've checked the barrier. It ain't gonna last much longer. We need to figure out the ten and close the thing for good."

"We can add to what you've done." One of the sorcerers brought over from England spoke up. "Enforce it to last a lot longer."

"Nope." Willow shook her head. "Wrong answer. The barrier is not only having to hold the coming baddies out, but its having to keep the gateway from expanding outwards. Without the barrier, it might've already covered several blocks."

"What do you suggest?" Kennedy asked, prompting her to keep the momentum moving forward.

Willow smiled in thanks. "The gate's gonna have to go down before the coven's nuke goes off."

"Can't we just let the bomb take the gate out, too?" Faith asked.

Willow shook her head negatively. "Nope. If the bomb goes off before that gate is closed, then the bomb's just gonna drain into it."

"Like piss down the toilet." Faith smiled. Willow just shook her head in mock disgust.

"And how do we close it?" Tara asked.

"The Ring of Ten." Buffy said brightly. Willow almost laughed out loud at the smug look she gave Angel.

Angel just grimaced as he stared at the redheaded witch. "The Ring of Ten."

Spike grinned as he moved away from the darker vampire, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag. "Fine, then. Ring of Ten. Can we say it again? Bloody brilliant." He spun around in a circle, his arms outstretched. "Anyone 'ere know where it is?"

"Not where, Spike. Who." Tara admonished the blonde vampire, but Spike only smiled at her as he took another puff.

"Who to you, too." Spike turned and alternated his glance between Buffy and Willow. "So, I get to be one of your ten?"

"I don't think so…" Willow began, trying to not hurt his feelings, when Spike lifted his arm in the air, like he'd won a race or something.

"Good. No bleedin' medallions and burning to a crispy this go-around. Like'n this idea o'yurs much better, Red." Spike did a little dance and wiggled his eyebrows at Buffy. "Get to live after this 'un."

"Great." Angel stated. "Spike gets to live. My hell never ends."

"Don't be glum, Angel-pants." Spike laughed. "Maybe you git to die for the world this time."

"Not to interrupt this wonderful world of dysfunctional vampire family theater," Kennedy moved up between the two vampires. "But who is a part of this ring?"

Angel turned to look at Buffy. "And I still say we can't trust this supposed voice of the higher realm. I'm thinkin' it's a trap by the Senior Partners."

"Eve? Eve?" The Alpha Slayer turned to see the brunette sitting quietly in a corner, trying to be as invisible as possible. (Too bad this wasn't Sunnydale, where vanishings happened all the time.) "Tell me about this Emissary."

Willow turned to watch as the young woman dragged herself forward, away from her hidden little corner of safety. She didn't look good… and being under the scrutiny of a room full of beings all with powers and abilities beyond hers… (well, at least she wasn't in any immediate danger).

The brunette raised her hand to brush her hair behind her ear, as she seemed to come to some decision from an inner war taking place. Willow watched as Eve stepped further into the room and then took a moment to turn to look at everyone watching her, before she finally drew her attention back to the Alpha Slayer.

"My name is Eve. Eve Adamson. And please, no jokes." She began. "I once was a liaison to the Senior Partners, acting as a go-between for them and Angel for the Los Angeles office."

"We got that part," Angel interrupted. "Tell us about the Ten."

"It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Buffy asked, sparing a quick moment to glare at Angel for interrupting.

"The sacrifices and ritual involved just to be considered in the running for the position, alone, is more than most are willing to endure. The blood that had to be spilt, the incantations and spells performed over time and…"

"Lindsey put your name in before he left, didn't he?" Angel broke into Eve's run.

Willow wanted to strangle her as Eve dropped her head. "Yeah."

Buffy walked up to the former liaison, her hands on her hips (uh-oh. Buffy's mad, now). "Eve. No more games. We need to know about the Ring of Ten."

"Fine." Eve seemed almost to pout. "The Ring of Ten stands as the… council, of sorts… for the various factions. Each of the corners of reality sends a… representative, which aids in reasserting the balance of everything."

"Of course." Spike nearly shouted as he threw his cigarette down on the floor. "It's so simple. Why didn't we see it before?"

"Look, Spike…" Eve started to argue, but then the blonde vampire was suddenly in the brunette's face.

"No chance, ducky." Spike roared. "English, please. Now!"

"Fine." Eve glared. "Wolfram and Hart took advantage of the fact that you let the Watcher's Council get destroyed."

Buffy moved closer. "What?"

Eve nodded. "The old spell was broken when your Council was broken."

"I'm not sure I understand." Buffy looked at Angel and then towards the others in the room. "Does any of this make sense?"

(Not really.) Willow kept her opinion to herself and moved closer to join the conversation. Amazingly, she realized that very few people had moved from their original place of standing. The red-headed witch returned her attention to Eve once she started speaking again.

"After the fall of Illyria and the later God-Kings, celestials… what you call 'the Powers That Be'… took advantage of all of the demons' confusion and aided humanity in a chance to assume dominance over reality. It worked."

"So… how were the Watchers involved?" Tara asked.

"They were the first of humanity to bargain with the celestials." Eve looked sympathetically towards Buffy, and then to Faith and the other slayers. "Those first Watchers bound an incarnation of death within a hapless girl…"

"The first slayer." Buffy whispered.

"Yes." Eve nodded. "From what few records remain, that was the first part of the bargain. Humanity got a defender and the celestials got a host to absorb the hatred and evil that remained within this reality."

"Absorb evil?" Faith decided to jump in. "Wha's that about?"

Eve smiled, though it never seemed to reach her eyes. "Attraction to vampires? Drawn to men determined to rule the world? Bad dress choices?" Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"So…" Willow interjected before Faith or Buffy could reply to the bad dress comment. "The Slayer… now, slayers… aren't evil."

"No. They just help take evil out of this reality. Metabolize it, I guess." The brunette shrugged. "That part I never got."

"Why only one slayer?" Xander asked. "If you want evil gone, seems like more would work better. Worked better for us."

"I see, now." Illyria suddenly spoke. "A small way to keep the balance shifted to the side of the celestials rather than the demons."

"Okay. Blue chick's got it, but not me." Faith complained. "Somebody's gonna start talkin' simple quick before I lose it."

"Faith. Chill." Kennedy admonished the Beta Slayer. Faith moved angrily towards the other slayer. Willow tensed in case of a fight, but then Buffy took control of the scene.

"Guys!" Buffy yelled. "Enough."

Into the quiet, Buffy turned back to Eve, who Willow observed had stayed very close to the Alpha Slayer when voices had become raised. "Can we get a Cliff Notes' version? Something with rhymes and pictures, maybe?"

Eve looked helplessly at the blonde women in front of her. "Reality is based on balance. Nothing is supposed to change that."

"Got it so far…"

The brunette pointed at Illyria. "When she and her kind ruled this reality, it was balanced, but after a while… something caused the balance to be lost and the demons were sucked out of reality through… holes, I guess.

"Something?" Spike offered. "You mean Wolfram and Hart."

Eve didn't respond, but kept going. "When humanity filled the vacuum left when the demons vanished, it was not balanced. No where near, in fact. That's where the celestial beings came in. They negotiated a balance."

"Yeah. Still with you." Buffy offered as she got nods from Faith and Spike.

"But the celestials were smarter than humanity. They realized that balance is like a see-saw, constantly leaning back and forth, though balanced."

"And the slayer was a way to keep the opposing side from gaining power ever… even with the balance." Angel offered, his voice thoughtful.

"Exactly." Eve smiled in relief.

"But that doesn't explain the Senior Partners." Spike questioned. Willow smiled as he lit another cigarette for himself, and then one over to Faith.

"But it does, maybe." Tara offered. "If they were like low level when the demons ruled…" Willow watched as Tara paused for Illyria's nod of ascent. "Then they might have attempted something similar… made a deal with the evil celestials or something."

(That was great.) Tara turned and looked at Willow, her face beaming. Laughter from behind caused her lover's face to fall. Willow turned to see that it was Eve that had started laughing.

"You guys don't get it, do you?"

"Apparently not." Willow tried to keep the magick out of her voice. "Why don't you share?"

"The celestials… the _Powers That Be_ that you are so keen on listening to and believing in?" Eve shook her head. "They're the same thing."

OOOOO

(( 12 Hours 47 minutes remaining ))

"Remarkable." Giles' voice carried from the speaker phone, filling the room.

Tara smiled. Willow felt her whole being warm at the smile. Of course, it didn't hurt that Kennedy was sitting next to her, also trying to work through the problem. Willow grinned back.

Buffy sighed audibly.

It was Angel that finally responded. "And?"

"On the scale of genius plans, it is staggering to consider." Willow could almost picture the Watcher cleaning his glasses furiously. "If what has been offered is true, then these Celestials had been intentionally keeping a balance that allowed Good, for lack of a better definition, to win over Evil. But Evil is funneled through the victims of the slayer, or slayers now, to… to… to what purpose?"

"Maybe to control other realities?" Angel offered.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Other realities, you say?" Giles spoke from the telephone.

Angel nodded. "A few years ago, we traveled to another dimension… Pylea. Wolfram and Hart ruled there…"

"Really?" Buffy's eyes shot up.

"Sure. That was where Wes first realized that it wasn't Wolfram and Hart, but a Wolf, a Ram and a Hart."

"Of course." The Watcher over in England answered. "Manipulate the fight here, keeping plenty of opponents to keep the Slayer busy…"

"While sucking up all the evil chocolate goodiness from the center." Willow finished.

"What about all of the new slayers?" Kennedy asked.

The silence even for just a moment was deafening. "Everything would have exponentially increased. Now, with the addition of multiple slayers able to battle evil across the globe, the payoff for the Celestials would be much higher."

"But none of it explains this whole _Ring of Ten_ thing." Buffy complained.

"Well… maybe it does." Willow offered.

"How so, Willow?" the Watcher asked through the telephone.

"We have to look at it from their side." The witch stood. "Their plan has worked for millennia, providing a source of power and resource, all from the hand of the very force dedicated to stopping it."

"Yeah?" Angel leaned forward.

"We screwed it up. Or maybe," Willow smiled at the eager looks from her friends in the room. "It was the Demons, the ones the vanquished."

"Wait. Now the bad guys are stopping the bad guys?" Buffy asked.

"That's it!" Tara stood, excited. "If the good guys are supplying them with power, no wonder the bad guys are trying to stop them."

Kennedy snapped her fingers. "That's why the First Evil wanted the Watchers and the Slayers destroyed."

"And Jasmine… trying to provide her version of a world at peace." Angel spoke. (There's that name again! Who is Jasmine?) "No wonder they offered me a job…"

"But why now?" Buffy asked.

"Because of everything else, Buffy." Giles answered. "Hell-Gods and God-Kings walk the Earth again. Mayor Wilkins almost succeeded in ascending. Acathla almost inverted this reality. All of it… and more. They're setting up another battle."

"No." Angel smiled grimly. "They set the board up to start a true war."

"And the Ring of Ten?" Buffy asked.

"That's how they're going to reset everything." Willow offered to the stunned group. "The original spell. Keep everything moving towards Armageddon, but never reaching it."

"It makes sense." Giles offered. "Old stories filled the halls of the Watcher's Council of the original ten… that just ten men started the war against the evil in the world."

"And the slayers?" Kennedy asked.

Willow tried to keep a brave face as she looked deeply into the eyes of her lover. Tara moved over to hug Kennedy as she turned her eyes towards the Alpha Slayer. "That's what the war is for… kill the slayers until only one is left, then work some magick and hope that it will reset itself."

"But…"

"It's the escalating threat scenario." Giles offered. "The side of Good has tipped the balance off. They had to bring in more to restore equality before more holes showed up."

"But what started it?" Buffy asked.

"You did." Eve answered from the doorway. "When you died the first time, with the Master, a second slayer was created."

"Kendra." Xander offered.

Eve shrugged. "Whatever. Either way, with there being two slayers, the balance was lost… and holes started to appear. That's why you've had to face so many threats."

"Extraordinary." Giles' voice answered.

"And now we have hundreds of slayers…" Kennedy spoke from the corner.

"Yeah." Buffy agreed.

OOOOO

(( 12 Hours 03 minutes remaining ))

Buffy paced along the edge of the balcony, looking over the assembled slayers and magick users. Willow preferred her spot along the stairs leading to the second floor of the Hyperion, rather than being the center of attention. (No, with Buffy, Angel, Faith and Illyria all up there… no need for me).

"… and what that means is that we have to decide." (Buffy loved making speeches). "Decide whether to play by their rules or to make our own."

"But didn't you make the situation worse by not following the rules, last time?" A voice called out from the back.

Willow watched as Buffy nodded. "Exactly. But what you've got to ask yourself is whether you want the same-old thing, or maybe tip the balance in our favor and try to keep it there."

Faith moved up next to the blonde slayer, putting her arm around her shoulder. "I like being a hot chick with sup' powers." Faith's eyes scanned the hotel lobby. "Any of you lookin' to give that up?"

Willow felt Tara and Kennedy both squeezing her hands. Looking to both of her girlfriends, felt the smile that she shared with each of them. As one, the three of them stared out as the slayers began cheering.

Buffy nodded once. "Then let's get everyone over here and kick the crap out of Wolf, Ram and Hart."

(Looks like we need to open another portal to England.)


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

**And Just How Would You Handle This?**

(( 10 Hours 17 Minutes remaining ))

"Willow? Are you alright?" The red-headed witch turned from her slumped position on the couch to see Tara leaning over her, concern filling her eyes.

She nodded carefully, the aftereffects of the spell still sending shards of ice (not in a refreshing way!) through her brain. "Yeah, babe. I'm fine."

Willow grinned impishly at the flash of indignation across her lover's face at being called _babe_. Tara hated any endearment that came across as sexist or demeaning. Of course, that made Willow calling her as many as she could all the more fun.

"Seriously." Willow offered when Tara didn't seem to believe her. "I really am okay."

"But you're still…" Tara wiggled her fingers.

"Yeah. I wasn't really ready for the backlash since more and more of my power seems to drain away for the holding spell."

"We really should have gotten someone else to do the transport spell… Mr. Giles could have found someone else…"

"Tara. I'm okay." Willow insisted. "I was the best choice to get everyone from across the world here. It took less time… and time's somethin' we have to be careful about right now."

"I-I know." Tara smiled weakly. "I just worry."

Willow smiled. "Well… we can let Giles and Buffy and the others worry now. We get to sit here and relax."

"D-did you.. did you ever suspect that…" Tara let the words trail off.

"What? That Buffy was being used for the bad guys' plan? Or that the Powers That Be and the Senior partners were the same?" Willow leaned back with a sigh, her fingers rubbing at her temples. "That the reason the demons are so focused on Buffy… the slayer is because Wolfram and Hart betrayed them thousands of years ago?"

Tara nodded silently.

Willow laughed. "Nah. I missed all that till formerly evil lawyer chick explained it to me."

"What are we going to do?"

The redhead watched her friend and lover with serious eyes. "We'll wait until we have a plan… and then win."

"It's not gonna last much longer… is it?" Tara sat on the edge of the couch, moving her hand over so that she could run her fingers through Willow's hair.

Willow didn't want to move, maybe never again, if only so Tara would keep massaging her head. "And that you couldn't help since you're acting as a second barrier to the shielding… "

"You're pooped." Tara said with a smile. Even with Willow's eyes closed, she knew Tara was smiling.

"Exactly."

"Do you think Mr. Giles is going to need you soon?"

Willow opened her eyes and lazily looked over at the beautiful brunette. "Us, my love. Giles will want to talk with us."

Tara nodded once. "I-I guess."

The two sat together on the couch in silence for what seemed an eternity, each happy to only be in one another's presence… at least, that was how Willow felt… before the door to the quiet sanctuary opened, their time alone broken. Both turned to watch as Kennedy entered the room, her face grave.

"Everything okay?" Willow asked, her body already regaining the tension that Tara had so painstakingly worked out of her earlier.

"Sure." Kennedy said quietly. (She is such a bad liar) "Mr. Giles and the rest of the team are ready."

"Okay, then." Tara said as she stood from the couch's arm. "We need to get started."

Willow took Tara's hand when her lover offered it to help the other witch off of the couch. As the redhead was back on her feet, Tara looked over at their third and smiled. "The sooner we can get the bad guys done with, the sooner we can find a beach or something."

Kennedy noticeably brightened. "I'd like a cabin in the mountains. With snow."

Willow felt her spirits rise as the three women held hands and moved out towards the waiting hell that was to come. "But I need to shop. Snow prevents shopping."

"You sound like Buffy." Kennedy admonished.

"And what's wrong with that?" A voice came from across the hallway. All three women smiled as the Alpha Slayer attached herself to the group, holding Tara's free hand. "Nothing can't be solved with a few good sales and an unlimited credit card."

"Except maybe the bill?" Tara asked playfully.

"Nah." Willow offered as she met the happy gaze from Buffy. "We just let someone else deal with the bills."

Willow was enjoying the banter… especially as it helped to distract from what was coming up next, but knew that trying to push off the inevitable would only make things harder later.

"So… what have we missed?" She asked, ignoring the exasperated sigh that came from Kennedy to her left.

Willow watched as Buffy looked at all three faces before stopping in the middle of the hallway. All four women paused in their trek to the lobby downstairs, as the slayer seemed to search for the right words. Willow waited patiently, knowing that to offer suggestions might through the blonde completely off her train of thought.

We don't have enough." Buffy finally offered. "Total, we've got nearly six hundred and fifty slayers throughout the Hyperion. Scattered in those numbers are nearly one hundred magick users… including you and Tara, as well as nearly seventy watchers, though only half of those are combat trained with any field experience."

Willow could see the amazement in Tara's face. "Not enough?"

Kennedy was shaking her head in agreement with Buffy. "Not even close. And that nearly exhausts all of the slayers we have."

Willow turned her head as Buffy began to speak again. "Giles and Price… Wes' dad, if you can believe it, have been taking in some figures. We're at about fifty to one, at best. Truth be told, we're more likely at a hundred to one."

"Do we have a plan?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded, though the look on her face Willow couldn't quite make out.

"Well? What is it?" the red-headed witch blurted.

"I called Riley."

OOOOO

(( 09 Hours 49 Minutes remaining ))

"I still think this is a bad idea." Angel glared to no one in particular, but Willow knew he was talking to Buffy. (Having two lovers in the same room was bad enough… but adding a third?)

"Forgive 'ell freezin' over, luv, but I agree wit brood-face." Spike joined in, though he was staring directly at the blonde slayer. (no subtlety there.) "Captain America don' need to be 'ere."

"Who is this… Captain America?" Illyria suddenly asked. Willow watched as Xander moved over towards her quietly and began explaining. (I wonder if he's telling her about Riley or the comic book character?)

"I hate to agree with Spike, but…" Angel held his hands up. "I agree with Spike."

Willow was impressed as Buffy simply stood her ground, watching the two vampires rant and pout about Riley Finn having been called. Willow moved her gaze over to where Faith and Xander were deep in discussion with Tara, supposedly about the plan for fighting that was coming up, when Buffy's voice brought her attention back to the vampires.

"Guys." Buffy said. "It's done. He and his are on the way."

Spike growled out something undecipherable, as he lit another cigarette, his third in less than a minute. Willow had to suppress a laugh as Buffy calmly walked over to the blonde vampire and pulled the Camel out of his mouth, and threw it in the trash can.

"And I've had enough of all the smoke." Buffy put her finger in Spike's chest. "I've made my decision… a decision agreed upon by the slayers and watchers here."

Willow finally grinned as Spike and Angel both threw their hands in the air and turned away in apparent disgust. (They are so similar… like two sides of a coin.) Buffy caught her gaze and rolled her eyes, apparently just as fed up with her former lovers.

"Gentlemen." Giles walked into the room. (He looked so much older since all this had began) "I'm sure that neither of you wants to be responsible for failure as this juncture…"

"Look, Giles… if you think for one minute that I'm gonna just let the Initiative…"

"The Initiative is gone, Spike." Buffy interrupted. "This is Riley and his _wife_, Samantha… along with their team… which brings all of their resources…"

"Meaning Government back-up and weapons." Xander offered from the corner.

"And information." Kennedy threw in.

Willow watched as Spike continued to sputter against more help. (One could almost sympathize with his situation… first, captured by the Initiative. Then surgically prevented from being a vampire… not to mention the whole trying to kill you part.)

Angel, on the other hand, just seemed to lose some of the fire in him as he move over to a chair along the opposite wall and sat down, his face seemingly thoughtful. (Did he even know Riley other than that he was the one to take Angel's place?)

"Spike!" Buffy's yell brought Willow's attention out of her inner monologue and back to the present. "Riley and all are on their way already. The plan is that they should be here in about three hours."

"How?" Willow asked. At Buffy's look, the redhead shrugged and tilted her head. "The city isn't exactly safe at the moment."

The Alpha Slayer smiled. "I have no idea. Maybe they're gonna land a helicopter on top of the Hyperion."

"Oh." Willow said quietly. "I guess that could work."

"Not everyone has a super-powerful witch at their disposal for fast teleportation." Tara offered supportively from behind her. "And we don't know where they are to do it ourselves."

"And besides, you need to conserve your strength for what's coming." Giles offered.

"Great. Thanks." She replied dryly.

The watcher and former high school librarian (how long ago did that seem?), not to mention magick shop owner shared a quick smile with her before he turned back to the rest of the room as he began setting papers down on the table in the middle of the room. "Here is the general outline of what we have planned."

Both Angel and Spike seemed to drop out of their funk as they approached the table. Buffy nodded towards Xander who moved quickly to the door, opening it and speaking to someone outside in the hallway. Willow glanced at Tara and quirked her eyebrow. Tara nodded and they both moved to join everyone else.

"So… what we got, chief?" Willow asked, trying to force herself to remain optimistic.

Xander smiled at her as he returned to the table, but then turned and looked at Buffy. "They'll be here in a minute."

Willow looked at her two oldest friends, not understanding their exchange, until the footsteps drew her gaze to the door.

"Ah. Excellent." Giles barely looked at the new arrivals before gesturing for everyone to make room at the table. "Let's get started, shall we."

Willow took in everyone that now entered the room. The first one through the doorway was Faith, the Beta Slayer. (No surprise there) In fact, the only thing that had been a surprise was that she hadn't already been in the room before now.

After Faith walked in Amy Madison. Willow squeezed Tara's hand tighter as the witch entered the room. There was a lot of history with Amy… and not all of it was good. Willow forced herself to smile at Amy's glance… But it was the last person to walk in that seemed to catch Willow the most off guard.

"Oz?"

Willow couldn't help herself as she felt her foot moving her forward to embrace the young man in a hug. He was still short… but he felt so right in her arms. It was like coming home. (No. Not home. But like going back to your childhood home.)

"I can't believe you're here. When did you get here? How are you? What's going on? How is…" She was being motor mouth, but she didn't care. It was Oz.

"Hey." It was all he said, but the volumes he had always been able to convey in so little verbage was astounding. (And he wasn't changing when close to her!)

"But what about…" Willow turned her gaze to find Tara. This couldn't be good, but there she was. Smiling her special smile. (She knew!)

"Did you know about this?" Willow accused.

"Not me." Tara replied, though her eyes betrayed the lie.

"Hey, Tara."

"Daniel." Tara replied. (Daniel? What was going on that she got to call Oz by his first name?)

"Tara and I have been emailing each other." Oz offered to Willow.

"Oh." (What else could she say?)

"Ahem."

All three turned to look over at Faith, who was doing everything in her power apparently to stop from tapping her foot. "Can we get to the plan? Huggin' can wait till after the big bads are gone."

"I used to be a big bad…" Spike seemed to sulk in the corner.

Angel took that moment to suddenly brighten considerable. "Spike. You were never as big a bad as you thought you were."

At the bait being dropped, Willow noticed that Spike was suddenly in Angel's face. "You sure you wanna go 'paring who's bigger, mate? We gots us a judge… right, luv?"

"We are so _not_ having _that_ conversation right now." Buffy suddenly spoke from the other side of the table. Willow did note that her friend was a bright shade of pink. "Hopefully not ever."

"Yes. Quite. Thank you, Buffy." Giles quickly answered, hoping to cut off any further depth into that pool of so-none-of-my-business. "If we can get back to the matter at hand…"

"Yeah… please." Xander offered, though his eye twinkled at Buffy's discomfort.

Giles began passing out papers to everyone around the table… Buffy, Angel, Spike, Illyria, Amy, Faith, Xander, Oz, Tara and then to her. Willow took a moment to glance at the pages, her mind having to take a moment to realize that the squiggles of lines and numbers across the page all formed to make up a type of roughly drawn map of the area surrounding the Hyperion and the surrounding blocks.

"It's a map." Amy offered. (Queen of the obvious much?)

"Well… in a way." The watcher smiled indulgently. "We have devised a plan of holding the barrier until help can get here, by way of Riley and his compatriots."

"Huh?" Buffy asked.

"Reinforcements, Buff." Xander whispered conspiratorial, though everyone around the table could hear him.

"Right. Yes." Giles failed to ignore the exchange. "The other slayers (so that's where Kennedy was!) are set up as the diagram shows. Each responsible for the areas indicated. They all have magickal back-up in one form or another."

"Cool." Willow whistled as the figures and numbers along the map began to make more and more sense to her.

"Yes. Cool. This will give us time to focus less on the impending failure of the barrier and more towards these ten avatars… as such… that the Celestials are looking for."

"And we're going to do this ring thing?" Angel asked.

"Yes."

"Not a chance, bloke." Spike retorted suddenly. "No deals with the bads, remember?"

"We're not going to make a deal, Spike." Giles voice was filled with exasperation. "We're going to draw them to us so that we can destroy them once and for all.

"And how do we do that, pops?" Faith asked.

"I have absolutely no idea."

"Well…" Tara spoke up. "Do we at least have an idea about the ten?"

"I'm one of the Ten." Buffy offered. "At least… according to the Senior Partners."

"See. That don't make sense." Faith started waving her hands as she became more agitated. "If the original ten were all human… no powers an' stuff… then why you, B?"

Buffy shrugged. "She also said that Willow was of the ten."

The redhead nodded firmly, even with everyone turning to look at her. "Yep. I get to be a ten." Tara smiled at her joke. "And also one of the original ones that came with us… though we don't know which one."

"Well, the number's down, at least." Faith supplied. "With Rona and Michael both bein' gone."

"Hopefully." Buffy offered.

"How were the original ten chosen, Mr. Giles?" Tara suddenly spoke.

"Hhmmm? Oh. "Giles tilted his face towards the ceiling. "I'm not quite sure. Why do you ask?"

"Well… it seems only logical that there be balance in trying to do a spell about balance."

At everyone's blank stares, Tara turned to Willow. "Right?"

"Tara, baby. Explain it out."

Tara rolled her eyes and then looked back over the table. "Well… baring that Eve doesn't walk in and laugh at me again, you have to understand the principles of the spell you want to perform. If you want fire, you need combustible elements. The same thing with something larger."

"So…" Spike prompted.

"So. The ten would have to balance." Tara nearly yelled.

"We've got that." Faith answered. "How do we figure out who balances?"

"We use who we were told." Giles offered. Willow smiled and tightened her grip on Tara's hand as the watcher turned and bestowed a proud grin on the dark haired witch. "Find out who balances Willow and Buffy… then move outwards from there."

"That's me again." Spike popped up, ignoring the glare from Angel. "I'm Buffy's opposite."

"Look here, Spike…" Angel turned, frustration written all over his face.

"Nope." Willow offered, freezing both vampires in their tracks. "We were told that neither of you gets to be an avatar. Something about mistaking champions for what we needed."

"Champion?" Spike asked, though Willow could tell it was more to keep annoying Angel than to actually ask a question. Angel, however, didn't rise to the bait.

"Okay. No vampires. What would be the opposite of the Slayer?" Willow asked.

"Not the slayer." Faith suddenly offered. "B. Buffy. The opposite of Buffy would be me."

"At that, Tara nodded thoughtfully. "That might work. As for balance, not everything can be opposites…"

"And let's face it, B." The Beta Slayer smiled wickedly. "We ain't never been too much on da same page."

"More like opposite pages." Buffy smiled in return.

"Before we get too far ahead of ourselves," Giles broke in. "Perhaps we should check with the remaining archives to see if there was mention of how the original ten were chosen."

"You mean research?" Angel asked, clearly surprised.

"Research." Oz and Xander confirmed as the smiled at one another.

OOOOOO

(( 08 Hours 26 Minutes remaining ))

"Anything?"

"I got nuthin' but a headache and a want for a good fight." Faith replied.

Willow nodded as she rubbed her forehead. "There's got to be something here…"

"Sure." Dawn suddenly spoke from the doorway. "Has to be. No reason for it to not be. Right?"

The witch smiled as she looked up to see Buffy's little sister leaning against the doorway, another stack of books in her arms. From what she remembered, Buffy had said something about Dawn coming over with the last shipment of books that had yet to be input into the online database. (Everyone must be here.)

"Dawnie." Tara smiled as she looked up to see the youngest Summers girl. "Here to help?"

"A world of no." Dawn smiled as she set the stack of books in front of Xander on the library table. It was definitely nice that Angel's hotel had room for so many books and people. "I'm off to help Giles and Buffy interview Eve."

"More with Eve?" Willow's brow furrowed. "Why wasn't I told about it?"

Dawn shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably felt there was no need. You've always been better than everyone else at research mode… except for Mr. Giles, of course."

Willow held in the sigh she felt. "I guess."

"Besides. They probably want you fresh and ready to welcome Riley and the troops."

"Are they here yet?" Faith asked.

"Latest info is that they ought to be here any moment."

"How?" Willow asked. "If they were flying, we'd here something. And if they trying to go through the streets… no chance at all of being all stealthy."

Dawn shook her head. "Don't know. Just relaying the four-one-one."

"Four-one-one?"

The teenager giggled. "Yeah. Dope, huh."

Willow rolled her eyes. She started to open her mouth when she suddenly felt the bottom drop out of the pit of her stomach. (Magick!) Somewhere, magick was being cast… and not just a little bit. A lot!

"Tara?" Willow called out.

"It's not the barrier." Tara answered the unvoiced question. "Something else. Like a gateway."

"A gate?" Faith was on her feet, a very dangerous looking knife suddenly in her hand. "Where from, red?"

Willow closed her eyes and tried to reset her equilibrium. She was stronger than this. Able to withstand way more powerful primordial forces. There was no reason a gateway spell should press at her too much. (What is going on?)

"The spell's warded…" Tara seemed to be shouting from a great distance. "Its pushing at anything it deems a threat."

Not me?" Faith called back, anger filling her voice. "Last 'stake they'll ever make."

Willow watched as a bright light suddenly filled the hallways, reducing her vision of Dawn to nothing more than a silhouette standing the room's doorway. Without being prompted, Dawn suddenly dove further into the room to get out of the way. The redhead watched as Faith moved closer to the doorway, shielding Tara… as well as giving the room to prepare any defensive counters they might have.

"_Baby?"_ Willow asked into her lover's mind.

"_I'm ready."_

Willow felt the first tendril of support and power slide into her, offered freely from Tara. The boost wasn't necessary… but the foundation was always a great help. Anything to keep her grounded was considered a good thing…

The beginnings of a freezing spell on her lips, Willow's hands began flowing in the intricate arcane symbols necessary to cast without any ingredients or spell components. As she had the opportunity to further prepare, she could feel the hairs along the nape of her neck start to rise as the well of power began filling inside of her.

Willow couldn't help but smile as she felt the gateway spell taking form so close… just outside the door, giving a perfect shot to teach the interlopers a lesson they'd never forget.

The power of the spell was impressive… not to mention the level of the warding that kept attempting to brush the two witches away… though neither was going anywhere. Willow's power was near unparalleled… and Tara… well, there was no way that someone linked with as much power as Tara was when connected to Willow was going to have a problem with a ward, no matter how strong.

Finally, the figure of a man started to materialize out of the spell. (And he has weapons!) The redheaded witch, though her hair was slowly bleaching to a deathly white, readied the end of the first casting, when finally she could see the figure clearly.

"Riley!" A voice called from the hallway, somewhere out of Willow's line of sight. (So… It's Riley. Time to die…)

"_Willow!"_

"_What?"_ The witch turned to glare momentarily towards her lover at the interruption, preventing her from concentrating on the opponent (victim, actually) coming through the spell. She felt her anger rising until she finally took a moment to realize what was going on.

(Oh, Goddess above! The freezing spell… I was going to use it.) Willow quickly dismissed the calling of power and turned her gaze away from Tara. (I can't look at her. What was I going to do!) Willow dove behind a overturned table among the books on the floor, hiding.

She began to feel her eyes tear up as arms slowly wrapped around her. "It's okay, Willow. It's going to be okay." Tara murmured into her hair. "Too much all at once."

Willow didn't trust herself to speak. She continued to rest in her lover's arms. She could have stayed there forever, but finally voices started calling them back to the situation at hand.

"Guys?" Faith's voice called.

"We're coming." Tara called in reply.

Willow quickly looked up at the brunette, but Tara just smiled… trust filling her eyes_. "I won't say a thing."_

The redhead nodded in relief, as both of them revealed themselves from behind the table they had been using as a shield. Once back in view of the doorway, Willow was able to see that there were a lot (a LOT) of people now filling the inner part of the room they were in and the hallway outside.

"You okay?" Faith asked, her eyes darting around the room.

"We are fine." Dawn said as she rose up off the floor, her hands brushing at the designer jeans she was wearing. "Though my pants are now all dirty."

Tara smiled at Faith's not caring attitude. Willow caught her breath finally and stepped closer to all of the people, though she kept a tight grip on Tara's hand.

"Wow. Nice, Riley." Dawn said as she drew closer. "You're regular bringin' the cavalry guy."

It was then that Riley Finn, government black-ops soldier and former boyfriend to Buffy, turned and grinned his all American smile at the room. "Well… sure. What guy doesn't want to come running when damsels in distress call?"

"Damsels, huh?" Buffy finally walked into the room, seeming to almost materialize out of the wall of armored soldiers that were now everywhere.

"Well. Not you." Riley retorted.

"Just her?" Faith stepped closer, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

"Hey, now. Back off." Samantha Finn… "Sam" to most that knew her, finally made her way up to the small group that was forming.

"See? Back up." Riley grinned.

"I was talking to you, buster." Sam replied, looking straight into the eyes of her husband.

Willow couldn't hold back the grin as she watched the shock and then self-depreciating smile fill the man's face. (Some things never change.)

"Well… let's save the reunions until after we've won the day, all right?" Buffy finally spoke. Willow shot her friend a look at the tightness in the Alpha Slayer's tone. (Was everything okay?) "We need to get an idea of what you got and can do so it can be added into the Giles' plan."

"Ripper 'as a plan?" A distinctively British voice called from inside the wall of soldiers. "Now there's a novel concept."

One of the armor wearing soldiers stepped closer, though Willow noted that he didn't seem to carry any of the big Star Wars looking guns that most of the others had either on their backs or in their hands. In fact… this guy looked near puny compared to the rest of them.

The figure drew closer until he had joined the group. His gloved hands finally moved up to the visored helmet on his head, as he began undoing the chin straps, finally pulling it up and away from his face.

Willow watched as Buffy got the first real glimpse of the man and the blood draining out of her face. No wasting a moment, the red-headed witch opened her free hand to call a flame spirit to attack if necessary…

"I can explain…" Riley began.

It was then that the man turned and looked at the rest of the group. Willow held her gasp back. Barely. The man now smiling to the room was Ethan Rayne.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

**Whose is Bigger?**

(( 07 Hours 31 Minutes remaining ))

"You gave us less than a day!" Riley screamed. "How dare you! I move my entire team. Seventy-four trained soldiers in dealing with Hostiles… the latest in military weaponry. Everything. And you're still pissed off that I brought a sorcerer with me?"

"Honey…" Sam stepped up, trying to lay a hand on his shoulder… maybe to comfort him, but Riley pulled away.

"No. I'm not bowing down this time." Riley glared at the room. "I have government authority… and don't think for a moment that my superiors haven't been made aware of the sit her in LA. We're gonna do what we're trained for. If you don't like it, then tough! Just follow along or get out of the way."

Willow watched in awe as the fight seemed to continue as it had for the past twenty minutes. The room was near empty… no one wanting to be any where near this fight, though a few had remained in case things got too deep.

Riley was currently facing off against Buffy. On Finn's side was his wife and the object of the disagreement: Ethan Rayne. On the other side was Giles and Angel. Spike and Faith… along with Willow were also still in the room, but had really not said too much of anything, as of yet.

"Out of the way? Out of the way?" Buffy replied to his tirade. "You're not equipped for this. Hell. Ever since Maggie Walsh and the Initiative was first formed, none of you have been ready for this. I called you for help. Yes. As back up. Not to take charge."

"You need us. I've looked over the so-called plan." Riley held up a copy of Giles' map. "It won't work. No chance. You're not even considering the hardware we've got at our disposal."

"Like it did you so good before." Buffy spat.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I seem to remember that it was a gourd and an ancient spell that stopped A.D.A.M. Don't you?" Buffy leaned back against the desk. "And a girl. Me."

"That was different."

Buffy tilted her head as she considered. "How was it different?"

Riley began pacing back and forth in the small room, narrowly avoiding colliding into several of the other people in the room. Each time he drew close to Buffy, he'd open his mouth like he was going to respond, but each time he'd stop and begin his pacing again.

Willow nodded at both Giles and Angel having dropped out of the argument and letting Buffy take the lead. Things hadn't gone as well earlier when it had been those two facing off against Riley.

"_You're a vampire! I'm not following you."_

"_Good, cause I'm not in charge. Besides… what's your problem with vampires, anyway?" Angel had loomed over Riley._

"_Vampires are the bad guys."_

"_Except when you're letting them bite and drink from you." Spike had offered at that point._

_Riley's face had gone several shades of red at the blonde vampire's words. "You stay out of this. Don't give me a reason to come over there and stake you."_

"_No chip now, America. Give 'er a go. We can go a round… though I ain't doin' you. Not into guys."_

_For a moment, Willow had thought those two were going to come to blows, but Angel had stepped between them both. "Spike. Drop it. And you!" Angel had glared at the soldier. "No staking. Don't make me kick your butt a second time."_

"_Right. You wanna piece of me, gel hair boy?"_

"_I want you to listen to reason…"_

"_Reason? From you?" Riley's voice had gotten so much louder. "Not a chance this side of hell, buster."_

"_Enough!" Giles had stepped in-between the two._

_Angel had stepped away, moving over towards Buffy… whispering something that Willow had been unable to make out. Riley had just stood there staring at the Englishman._

"_Riley. We need for order in this. Things are very delicate…"_

"_Forget it." Riley had interrupted. "I'm not going along with a stupid plan."_

"_Stupid plan?" Willow had watched as the watcher's eyes had gotten huge with indignity. "My plan? Stupid? Why you overconfident, egotistical…"_

"_My turn" Buffy had calmly walked over and pushed the watcher back to stand next to Angel. "Okay. Here's where we stand, Riley…"_

Willow closed her eyes at the direction of her thoughts. They were no closer to figuring out who the Ring of Ten were supposed to be… the barrier was getting weaker and weaker… and the deadline before the magickal bomb hit the city was drawing near.

(Just another fun filled day in the life of Willow Rosenberg.)

"Don't make me use force, Buffy." Riley called out. It was absurd enough of a statement that Willow opened her eyes back up and looked at the two. She had apparently missed some of the conversation, though how that might make a difference was anybody's guess.

Buffy laughed. Willow grinned at the laugh, since it wasn't mocking or sarcastic, but seemed like a genuine laugh.

(Was this really the time to laugh?)

Buffy finally controlled her mirth to look back at Riley. "I'd ask you 'with what army,' but I saw what you got."

Willow was happy to see that the tension of the situation seemed to fizzle out as Riley grinned at Buffy's laughter. Even Angel cracked a smile for a moment.

"Over seventy of the best agents and soldiers trained against the HST's." Riley remarked proudly. "We could take you."

"Have you kept up with the slayers?" Buffy asked quietly. "Got any numbers?"

Riley looked at her quizzically. "Last I heard, you had somewhere over two-hundred slayers. But, Buffy… they're girls. You haven't had time to train them all yet. My men would succeed."

"Uh-huh."

"And we've run test scenarios." Riley continued. "We know how it would all go down."

"Tests? For what?" Giles jumped in quickly.

"Doesn't matter…" Riley waved his hand negligently. "Just for training purposes. But the point is that we know what you've got and I would win."

"Giles?" Buffy called over her shoulder, her eyes never leaving Riley.

"In Los Angeles, at present and counting you, we have six-hundred forty-two slayers. Three-hundred seventy-nine have been active in the field. All have been trained and tested."

Willow watched as Buffy cocked her eyebrow. Giles continued. "In addition, we have eighty-nine magick users, not counting Ethan."

"And none of those numbers count the watchers here, as well." Buffy added.

"Or the two vampires." Angel smirked.

"Don' forget our resident former God-King thing…" Spike offered as he lit a cigarette. "Illyria."

"Now… tell me. Whose is bigger?" Buffy offered with a smile.

Riley remained silent.

OOOOOO

(( 07 Hours 08 Minutes remaining ))

"I've got it!" Dawn burst into the office.

The assembled group inside all jumped as the teenager came flying through the doorway, her eyes alight with discovery. Angel was the first to react, his hands outstretched to catch the young girl barreling her way towards everyone inside.

"You've got what, Dawn?" Buffy asked.

Willow grinned at Dawn's excitement. There could only be one thing that would make her this happy. (Well… two, actually, but let's stay on track here…) Willow tried to catch a glimpse of the tome she was carrying, but between Dawn's excited antics and the dark-haired vampires attempts to catch hold of her prevented a clear view.

It was Illyria that finally got a hold of Dawn. One minute, Dawn was fending off Angel and the next… Poof! Illyria had Dawn by the back of her neck…. And from the expression on Dawnie's face, she was just as surprised as everyone else.

"What do you have?" Illyria asked, her voice as cold as ice.

"Uhm. Yeah. The original ten for the spell." Dawn reached her arm out, offering the book. "Here ya go."

Amy Madison was the first to reach for it, but Oz beat her to it with a quick swipe. Willow cocked her eyebrow as her mind took in the speed at which Oz had moved. Apparently, he gained mastery over more skills and powers of the wolf than just a keen sense of smell.

Ever so gracefully, Oz leaned away from the rest of the group and scanned the title of the book. "Visions of One Future's Past."

"What?" Giles exclaimed. "Not very likely."

"Wot?" Spike asked. "Bug in your jack?"

Giles moved forward from behind the desk and took the book from Oz. Almost immediately, he was flipping through the pages as he sucked air through his teeth. "Not possible. Why here… no… this can't be right."

"Well?" Buffy asked impatiently when Giles didn't say anything for a few minutes.

(Did Giles seem… upset?)

"Uhm… Buffy?" Dawn asked.

Willow turned to see that Illyria still had Dawn held by the scruff of her neck, her feet a few inches from the floor. She turned to see that Buffy had finally taken notice of her sister's predicament, and felt her eyes grow wide at seeing Buffy's smile.

"Yeah, Dawn?"

"Buffy!"

"Fine, fine." Buffy grinned mischievously. "Would you drop her, please."

Suddenly, Dawn was unceremoniously dropped onto the floor. Willow noted that Illyria (It's still too creepy! That was Fred!) never changed expression. (It's not creepy. It's scary.)

With Dawn taken care of, Willow turned back to see that Buffy had moved closer to Giles, as had Spike and Angel, all in an attempt to look over the watcher's shoulder, maybe to see what it was he was looking at. It was apparently not working, as all of them kept shifting back and forth, trying to get a different view.

Finally, Giles looked up from the book to glance wonderingly at the three of them. "For goodness sake. Give me a moment, will you?"

"Fine." Buffy stated as she turned to look at Dawn who was still sitting on the floor. "Dawn. What'd you find?"

"You talkin' to me, now? Sure. You need something…"

"Dawn."

"Fine." The younger Summers girl stated with a pout. "When the Council was first formed, the ten people chosen where of various… uhm…"

"Yeah?" Spike asked, indicating for her to go on.

"What's the word Giles?"

Rupert Giles looked up at Dawn at that moment, his eyes scrunched up in confusion. "Word? What? Oh… yes, right." Taking a moment to look at the page the book was opened to, he silently read to himself before reading aloud.

"It says… 'The Ring of Ten was of opposing alignments, spiritually and fundamentally, with consideration placed fundamentally upon different paths taken to achieve the identical results by each making up a spoke of the wheel.'"

"Huh?" Buffy looked between Dawn and Giles.

"It means…" Dawn rolled her eyes. "That you need people that are the same, but different."

"That don't make sense, bit." Spike offered.

Angel smiled. "Actually, it does." He glanced at Spike. "As loathe as I am to say this… we would fit the bill nicely. Two vampires with souls, both champions… but we're nothing alike."

"Exactly." Dawn stated.

"Sure. Take the obvious one away from us." Buffy sighed.

"And you're sure that they can't be involved?" Riley asked from the corner.

"The Emissary of the Celestials that we met with said no." Willow offered in response.

"That actually makes sense, though." Angel spoke up. "If their making a deal with humanity, then humans are what they need."

"Bloody 'ell." Spike laughed. "Never thought of that."

"Well, the Celestials obviously did, and now we have to find seven more." Buddy offered.

"Seven?"

Buffy smiled at Angel. "Me, Faith and Willow."

"So, Tara as well then, huh?" Spike said.

"What?" Willow was suddenly very, very interested. "Why would you say Tara?"

Spike shrugged as he fished through his trench coat for his lighter. "Can't say rightly. Jus' seems to fit. Buff died, Faith lived, Buff's back. Faith was evil."

Spike grinned as he pulled out the lighter, finally. "Tara died, you lived, Tara's back. You were evil."

From the look the blonde-haired vampire was giving her as he lit the cigarette, she must look somewhere near as stunned as she felt. (Could that work?)

"Wot?"

"Spike…" Angel grabbed the cigarette out of Spike's mouth and crushed it out under his boot. "You might just be useful yet."

Willow wanted to argue but couldn't. The symmetry was too dead on. Buffy and Faith were slayers. She and Tara were witches. (This was too much!)

"Anything else while you're on a roll?" Angel asked.

"Actually… yeah." Spike grimaced at the floor, obviously mourning the loss of his cigarette. "Giles and that Raynes fellow. They'd probably be a good match."

"Are you daft?" Giles exclaimed. "Of course you are. Almost as much as I am for seriously considering anything you might offer."

"Giles." Buffy put her hand on the watcher as she stared at Spike. "He's probably right. And with six of the ten figured out, we might have a good chance of matching the rest."

When no one else spoke up, the blonde slayer looked at her former (lover? Boyfriend? Toy?) ally and considered him thoroughly. "Can you work out an idea of the remaining four?"

Willow watched as Spike suddenly leered, his gaze traveling down and back up the length of Buffy. "Sure, luv… but I might need some encouragement…"

"Enough, Spike!" Angel was suddenly pressing his vampiric progeny against the wall. "We can do without the…"

"Angel." Buffy said his name quietly.

At hearing his name, Angel released the chokehold he had and slowly lost the rigidity that often came over the brooding vampire while he was defending Buffy.

"Thank you." Buffy nodded at her former boyfriend. "Spike… can you help?"

Willow didn't realize she was even holding her breath until she finally had to let it out. Spike considered for a moment as he held steady Buffy's gaze. Finally, he pulled his jacket straight and glared at Angel before stepping closer.

"I'll give it me best, luv."

(Alrighty… two definites… four possibilities and four unknowns. We're getting somewhere now.).

OOOOOO

(( 06 Hours 52 Minutes remaining ))

Willow sat down quietly as she considered everything that she had just learned. She barely noticed that the hotel room was dark… no lights anywhere, not even from the window. Kennedy was somewhere on the street outside, holding down some area along with the dispersed soldiers that Riley had provided. Even Tara was off somewhere in the lobby, meeting with the rest of the core group in trying to figure out the necessary set up for the upcoming spell.

Everyone was busy, busy, busy. All except her.

Of all people, it had been Ethan Rayne that had come to her. Of course, he claimed to be reformed… time in a Federal Prison and all that. Will had been unsure of how far to trust him, but he did have information. Information that no one else was talking about.

Willow sighed as she sat back in the dusty chair, ignoring the itch that started in her nose. There was just too much to consider… to take in. If even a fraction of what Ethan suggested was right…

(No. I can't think like that.)

(But what if it's true?)

_Visions of One Future's Past_. That was the book that Dawn had found the needed information about the original Ring of Ten spell… about the founding of the original Watcher's Council… and the birth of the Slayer.

Just a book. No big deal…

Nut Giles had seemed upset when Dawn had named the title. He had jumped for the book. (Right? Didn't he?) Willow shook her head. Trying to clear her thoughts.

Ethan said that the book was old. It would have to be old to carry the information that they needed. But it wasn't that it was old that was the problem. (We've dealt with old books before) No. It was that the book was supposed to be a fake.

A useless forgery created by magickal wannabes… trying to make a name for themselves. A book of prophesies that never came true.

(But if the spell is right…)

Ethan had explained that in their younger days, he and Giles (I just can't think of him as Ripper.) and their group had gotten a hold of a copy of the book. They had read through its pages, marveling at the secrets it held… none of them had had any idea that what those ancient pages told them had been fallacies and lies. Every word.

But that wasn't the kicker.

Not even close.

Willow had to control her breathing as she remembered his words: _"Listen. You're a smart girlie. Good head on your shoulders, and some power to back up your decisions. I know what it says in that book that Ripper's holding onto so tightly. I know the truth…"_

(I should have walked away. Never listened. Should have told him no.)

"_See… what's going on now is that if the book is true, that the words of the spell are right… then each pairing will lose one. _

"_See? _

"_Don't you understand?_

"_One of each opposite pairs will die in the bargain."_

(I can't lose Tara again…)


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

**Eight Little, Nine Little, Ten Little Indians… **

(( 06 Hours 48 Minutes remaining ))

The door into her dark sanctuary suddenly opened, allowing the brightness of the reality outside into her brief respite. Willow glanced up to see a man silhouetted in the doorway. She bit back her retort to shut the door and lifted her hand to prevent the glare of light from getting into her eyes.

"Angel?"

The figure nodded, her guess confirmed, as the dark-haired vampire stepped carefully into the room. Willow was glad that he didn't even bother with the light switch next to the door. Instead, he moved quietly into the room, although he left the door open.

"Are you okay, Willow?" His voice was nearly a soft whisper.

Willow wondered if Angel had ever suspected that early on… when he and Buffy had been happy back during those early high school years in Sunnydale… had he ever suspected that she had been so jealous that Buffy'd had him. She chided herself that it wasn't that she'd had a crush on Angel, but rather had been so envious that someone as good looking and powerful had chosen Buffy rather than her.

Poor wallflower Willow.

"Willow?"

She shook herself out of her personal musings as she realized that she had never answered Angel's first query, forcing him to ask her again if everything was okay.

Looking into his dark eyes, sparkling even though his face was shrouded in shadow, Willow swallowed as she began her lie. "Everything's great. Just tired."

"Right." Angel leaned back, ignoring the best that his movement stirred up. "You remember that I can smell the sweat… hear the increased heart rate. I can tell you're lying."

Willow wrinkled her nose at the description. "I'm telling the truth."

Angel just looked at her.

After a moment, Willow broke. She knew that she would. "Look… it's just… this Ring of Ten… and Powers and Senior Partners… and now Tara's involved… "

"And you don't want her hurt?"

"No." Willow snapped. "Do you want Buffy hurt?"

The vampire watched her, his body barely moving. (Not moving! He gave off no signs of being alive… nothing) Willow tried to hold his stare, but trying to stare down someone that never had to blink was too much. (Yet another thing in this world that's not fair.)

"Fine." Willow answered sulkily. "Ethan told me what's in the book."

Angel at least had the decency to look surprised. Willow took small satisfaction that the tall, dark vampire struggled for a few minutes for a response. Finally, he leaned forward, his face intent. "Okay. So… what's in the book?"

Willow opened her mouth, but Angel held his hand up for her to wait. "And the truth. Straight out."

"Angel…"

"Willow… I can't say that we have ever really been close. Not after Ms. Calendar."

(Oh, Goddess above. Jenny Calendar.) Will held her breath as still as possible as memories of her high school computer teacher… Giles' old girlfriend, suddenly flashed in her mind. (It had been Angel… Angelus.. .that had taken her away so soon.)

Willow watched as Angel's eyes seemed sad. "And afterwards, the pain I put Buffy through."

"Angel…"

"What I'm trying to say here, Will, is that you can trust me. Me. I'll help you." Willow watched as he suddenly struck a ridiculous pose. "I'm a hero, after all."

"Angel." Willow said firmly. She was happy that he remained quiet this time. "I can't say that I understand everything… but after my evil witch Willow phase a few years back, I can at least understand some of it."

She took a deep breath. "Ethan says that the book is a forgery. Something not real."

"Not real? An illusion?"

"No. It's apparently been around for a long time… like a famous forgery of a painting. After a while, it becomes valuable, but not as something real, but kind of as a gag or something."

"A gag?" Angel asked with disbelief evident in his voice.

"I'm saying this all spazzy." Willow smoothed her hair behind her ears as she fought to explain herself. "The stuff in the book has never come true. Not once. And its very, very old."

"Okay."

"But see… that's the problem with it." Willow stood. (Too much energy inside!) "For it to suddenly have the answers that we need… but for it to have always been wrong before…"

Angel stood also. "Maybe the prophesies were written a long time ago, but this is the first to come true."

Willow shook her head so hard that her hair was swinging along her face. "That's just it. This is the last part of the book…"

"I don't understand why you're so upset, Will." Angel asked, concern filling every syllable he spoke. "What's the big deal if this is the only thing…"

"Half of the ring has to die." Willow blurted out, not able to hide it any longer. "Ethan says that if the book holds true, five of the ten chosen to be avatars will die at the end of the spell."

"That's not… What about…" Angel moved further into the shadows. "Why hasn't Giles said anything about this?"

Willow shrugged. "Do you see my problem?"

Angel moved suddenly for the door, the jacket billowing out behind him like some dark cape or demonic wings. Willow watched in surprise…the incredible speed and power that vampires possessed never ceasing to amaze her.

"Angel?"

Not even looking back, the vampire called back to her. "I'll just go straight to the source. Let's go talk to Giles."

The witch moved her legs quickly to catch up with Angel. "But Giles is out near the barrier with Riley and Faith. They-they're trying to set up everybody for when the barrier comes down."

"Good. Then we know where to find him."

OOOOOO

(( 06 Hours 35 Minutes remaining ))

It was taking every effort on her part to keep up with Angel. She had no idea how he did it, but the vampire seemed able to slide through the crowd that filled the hotel like they were mist….ghosts. Willow, on the other hand, kept having to offer apologies and excuses for every time she bumped into another person.

With each passing step that she took, she watched as Angel drew further and further away from her.

"Willow!" A voice called out to her from across the lobby.

The witch turned to see Tara, Amy and a warlock (Desmond. His name is Desmond… I think.) all gesturing for Willow to come over to them. For a moment, she was undecided, as she was worried over the confrontation that was coming between Angel and Giles.

(No. Giles first.) Willow, her mind made up to ignore the others and keep on Angel's tracks, moved to continue on her path, but then fate took over for her. She lost sight of her quarry… a wall of people seeming to block her path. Finally she caught a glimpse of him… and she watched as Angel had already moved out from the lobby and was going out the front door.

(Maybe I should just let him go.)

Sighing in resignation and abandoning her intent to be there when Angel finally got to the source of his anger, Willow nodded and moved over to the worried faces of her lover and the other magick users.

"Is e-everything okay?" Tara asked.

"Yeah."

"Angel looked upset." Amy offered. "Anything we can do?"

"We'll deal. But later." Willow looked at their faces. "What's up?"

Desmond smiled. "Spike thinks that he has figured out the rest of the ring. All ten."

"Really?" Willow felt her stomach drop. "Already."

"Well…" Tara offered with a sad smile. "There is still some argument over who he chose."

Willow lifted both eyebrows in wonder. "Why?"

Tara shrugged as Amy leaned closer. "Spike picked all of you… the people he knew."

"So?"

Desmond rolled his eyes. "It's like nobody else can accomplish anything… only you guys are destined to save the world time and time again."

Willow watched as the young warlock ran his hand over his purple-colored hair, as he tried to regain some of his lost composure.

Amy move din to fill up the awkward silence. "What Desmond is saying… what a lot of people are feeling… is that no one else ever gets a chance to shine, stuck under your shadows."

She shook her head in confusion, not getting what Amy was saying. Amy rolled her eyes and then started naming off names as she lifted each finger. "You and Tara here. Buffy and Faith. Giles and Ethan. Oz and Eve. Illyria and Dawn. You guys get all the luck… get to save the world… again."

(Lucky? If you only knew…)

"Dawnie? Dawn Summers?" Willow asked, ignoring everything else.

"Yeah." Willow now saw why Tara seemed so sad. "Something to do with how she came to be."

"And Illyria?" Willow countered. "We decided no demon-tainting… all humans. She's a god-king monster type thingie."

"In a purely human body." Desmond answered. "Two slayers. Two witches. Two sorcerers. Two changed. Two gods made human."

"Gods?"

"Look at what Dawn was… what we know of, anyway" Amy explained. "A key of such power that it could affect reality."

"In essence, a god." Desmond finished. (Is he being sarcastic?)

Willow tried to wrap her head around the whole thing. (Everything that they were saying made sense… but c'mon! Not Dawn. Not Tara. Not Giles. Not Buffy… really _no_ to the others, though Ethan could go to Hell for all she cared at the moment…. Wait! Oz!)

"Oz?" Willow looked at Tara.

"Something about how and Eve represent humanity changed during their lives." The brunette swallowed. "Faith and B-Buffy from destiny…"

"Giles and Ethan Rayne for the magick they manipulate." Amy offered.

Desmond caught her gaze. "And then you and Tara for the powers you possess."

Tara nodded. "Two have died and come back. Two have been human for only a short time. Half have been evil… "

"At least two might still be." Amy joked, though Willow didn't feel like laughing. As she watched the group, no one else really laughed all that much either.

"It all fits." Tara finished quietly.

There was always trouble whenever the original group all got together. Sure, there were faces lost… people missing. _Cordelia. Fred. Doyle. Jenny. Wesley. Gunn._ Too many good people lost in a fight that so badly had to be won… yet never did there seem to be a decisive win.

(Where do we go from here?)

"Does Buffy know?" Willow finally asked.

OOOOOO

_Author's Note – sorry about this chapter being so short. Hopefully, the next one will make up for it._


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

**Now What?**

(( 04 Hours 21 Minutes remaining ))

"I'm telling you… she said 'no.'" Willow overheard as she stepped out of the room that had been assigned to her, Kennedy and Tara. Looking down the hallway, the witch watched as a group of girls, all slayers, were deep in conversation. She decided to quietly listen in since it was apparent that none of them had noticed her yet.

"Wha didya 'spect?" a pretty teenager responded. "Som big o' evil 'gainst nother. No way dey'd fight wit each other."

"But… what about Buffy Summers?"

"Dis does dot dake dense." Willow tried to wrap her head around the way a large girl was now talking. "De das dust das duch do dose das de dest dove dus."

"Uhm… sure."

Willow watched as all of the girls stared at the larger girl, each apparently as lost as Willow as to what she was actually saying. She watched as the girls… really about seven of them… each started to whisper with those closest to her, all about whatever was happening. Willow decided now was as good a time as to be noticed as any.

"What's going on?" Willow smiled to herself as the various slayers all jumped and stared at Willow, before each hung their head, apparently to hide their embarrassment.

"We were just…"

"N-n-nothing, Ms. Rosenberg."

"Where'd you come… ?"

Willow just smiled at all of the stuttered responses. (Ms. Rosenberg? That's Mom! Am I really that old already?)

Taking the initiative, Willow stepped closer, and drew them all to her. "I head some of what you were saying, so out with it. What's going on?"

A very goth-looking girl stared glum at her compatriots before finally looking at Willow. The redhead noticed that she was wild enough in appearance to even give Xander pause. Sure, she was cute enough… in a "I'm so pierced and tattooed that my own parents don't recognize me" kind of way… but it was her eyes that drew Willow in. One blue, one green.

Willow arched her eyebrow as she watched… (Emily? Erika? Elvira? What was her name?) to begin. The young girl ran her hand along the right side of her head, shaved smooth in opposition to the left side that was a mix of dyed black and red hair that hung to her shoulder. After taking a deep breath, the slayer looked Willow directly in the eyes.

"Rumor is all over that the blue demon… Illra or something, she has said 'no' to being a part of the Ring of Ten."

Willow watched the others before turning her attention back to the girl in front of her. "Why'd you bring up Buffy then?"

The girl shrugged. "The Alpha Slayer and Mr. Giles and the others are all arguing with each other."

"About what?"

"Summers thinks that if the blue demon backed out, then her sister should be taken out of the equation, as well. She told the vampires that there couldn't be anyone else that could match the unique nature of her sister."

Willow was nodding. (It made sense… and it would keep Dawnie safe.) "Okay."

She watched as the group of slayers all seemed to let out a collective breath that they had all been holding in. A smile came unbidden to her face as the girls took Willow's acceptance of the explanation as a chance for them to leave. As they all moved out, Willow cleared her throat, bringing everyone up short.

"Please remember, guys." Willow made sure to make eye contact with every girl in the hallway. "We're sitting in a hotel that is less than a block away from a magickally sealed portal that has an army of nasties waiting to get through."

As all of the girls nodded, the witch continued. "We've been sitting here for over ten hours, everyone trying to have the best possibility of surviving. Rumors won't do."

"Yes. Ma'am." All of the girls responded. (Goddess! She was old!)

"Okay. Go. I'm sure you all have places to be"

All of the girls turned and ran off without waiting for another word. Willow waited until the hallway was clear and then turned to make her way back on her original heading… to find Buffy and the others.

(Why would Illyria say no? And if she refuses, what are we going to do? Buffy's right in that I can't think of anyone that could claim to be magickally created from the blood of…)

Willow stopped in her tracks.

(There _is _one person that she could think of that would be a match for Dawn. A better match that Illyria, in fact…)

(I just hope they both don't kill me for this.)

OOOOO

(( 04 Hours 07 minutes remaining ))

From down the hallway, Willow had been able to hear the raised voices inside the room. As she drew closer, she noticed the ring of slayers and magick users sitting in chairs or along the hall close to the door, but obviously not wanting to be any closer.

"Not invited to the party?" Willow joked weakly.

A tall slayer with bright blue eyes glanced lazily over at her. "They wanted you inside as soon as you arrived."

Willow nodded as she stepped closer to the door. "This been going on long?"

A dark skinned girl sitting on the floor to the left of the door sighed. "Near on about a hour. Maybe more. This one started right after the dark-haired vampire… Angelus… finished his argument with Watcher Giles."

"Great." Willow said, more to herself than the other women and girls in the room. "What happened between Angel and Giles?"

The tall slayer that had spoken when she had first walked down the hallway answered. "Not really my place to question. From the gossip already starting, seems the vampire was upset that he wasn't told everything about something he thought was important…"

"Yeah." Another slayer further down the hallway added. "Like he has any right to question us for anything."

"Is it true that he's a friend of the Alpha Slayer?"

Willow nodded. "He's friends with both Buffy and Faith… as well as a lot of others."

"Watcher Giles, too?"

Willow thought for a moment as she considered the question. "Not really. Not anymore."

"Why not? If the Alpha and Beta Slayers trust him…" The girl never finished the thought as the voices on the other side of the door suddenly increased dramatically.

Steeling herself with the knowledge that she was in the right (I hope…), Willow smiled sadly at the slayers she had been talking to and quickly grabbed the knob and pushed the door inward. As the room inside was revealed, Willow was struck at how quiet the room seemed to become as she entered. From the surprised looks on most of the people's faces inside, they were not expecting anyone to enter.

The witch took a moment to glance around the room. (The whole gang's here.) Angel, Spike, Buffy, Faith, Dawn, Amy, Giles, Rayne, Riley, Sam, Xander, Eve, Illyria, Oz… and Tara. Everyone was scattered through the room in no particular order or reason.

And there was no way to tell who was fighting with whom.

"Willow. Finally." Giles moved over towards her, his eyes squinting in obvious frustration. "We've been discussing…"

"Discussing?" Willow interrupted incredulously. "Discussing that can be heard down the hallway and maybe into the street outside."

"Well, yes. Right." Giles backpedaled.

"Will, look." Buffy broke in. "We don't have much time to figure out what to do. Illyria said she is thinking about no being a part…"

"I did not say _thinking_. I _will_ not." Illyria offered from across the room.

Willow barely gave the former God-king a look as Buffy continued. "And we've got to find two people to replace her and Dawn."

"I want to do this." Dawn spoke up.

Willow watched the haunted look come back into Buffy's eyes as she turned to look at her sister. "Dawn. This is way too much. And besides, Spike said that without Illyria…"

"Wait a bit, luv." Spike moved from his corner of the room and drew closer. Willow watched as he threw a cigarette on the floor and stepped on it before looking at Buffy. "I don' want the nibblet to git hurt, but I ne'er said with Blue out that she was out, too."

Buffy was shaking her head negatively. "But wouldn't it be easier to replace two that match than finding a replacement for Dawn?"

"What's the big deal?" Dawn interrupted. "We do a spell. We win. What could…"

"You could die." The elder Summers girl responded. "You haven't been told yet, but apparently…" (Did Buffy just shoot a glare at Giles?) "… half of the Ring of Ten won't survive the spell."

"When did… How do you… ?" Willow watched as Dawn floundered, her face flushing. "Does that mean you might die?"

"Worse than that, kiddo." Faith spoke up, though her voice was very low key. "The spell selects one from each pairing."

It was apparent across Dawn's face that she had to catch up to the meaning behind Faith's words. Willow watched in those moments as everyone was silent, letting her figure it out on her own. (Apparently, everyone else already knows.)

"Does that mean…?"

The Alpha Slayer was already nodding. "Me or Faith. Giles or Ethan. Oz or Eve. Tara or…"

"Me." Willow said.

"But you're out of danger now. With Illyria refusing, you get to miss this one." Buffy offered.

"Then why don't you guys refuse, too?" Dawn asked quietly.

"Yes, Buffy." Giles stepped forward, the British sarcasm thick in his words. "Why not have everyone that we like stay out of the spell and only use those we want to get rid of?"

"Not now, Giles." Willow was surprised at the venom in Buffy's response. "You could have said something before Angel forced you to talk."

"I never intended…"

"Not. Now." Buffy spoke through gritted teeth.

(Uh-oh.) Willow watched in wonder as Giles seemed to shrink… to lose the strength to stand up to his former pupil as Buffy whipped back around to face off with Dawn.

"Without Illyria, you can't be a part of the spell."

"Buffy…" Angel began, but Buffy turned quickly towards him.

"No, Angel. Not you, too." It nearly broke Willow's heart to hear the near anguish in Buffy's voice. "This isn't your sister. Not your family."

Willow gulped. (Now or never.) "Actually, Buffy, it is."

At her statement, Buffy turned back, her eyes accusing. Angel, too, suddenly was looking directly at Willow, his eyes dark.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Willow. No." Angel stepped closer, but he was too far and no force could have stopped her at that moment.

"Angel's son. Conner. He is an even better match than Illyria was for Dawn."

The redheaded witch watched the confusion in her best friend's face. "Angel's son? What? He doesn't have a son, Will… there was Druscilla, his _childe_, I think it's called…. but that's all."

The room was quiet as everyone seemed to be waiting… though for what was anyone's guess. Willow watched as the blonde slayer turned to look at her former lover.

"Angel?"

Willow wanted to hide from the look that Angel shot at her before he softened his features and glanced back to Buffy. "I have a son."

The room erupted. Willow felt herself in the middle of a wind storm as everyone started talking at once. There was yelling and crying and every other possible emotion. She watched as Spike moved closer, his eyes near wild. Of the room, only Tara, Oz and Illyria... and herself, of course… seemed to stand or sit quietly, waiting for the others to finish. As the noise slowly seemed to ebb, Willow was finally able to hear each person talk.

"A son?"

"What?" Giles quipped, though he didn't say anything else after Buffy shot him yet another look.

"Good fer you, mate." Spike suddenly laughed aloud. "Proves you straight. Stop all them tongues from waggin' as they been. Not that I've been sayin' much to it."

"Spike." Angel threatened, but Suddenly Buffy was in the dark-haired vampire's way.

"Don't worry, B. I got 'em." Faith grabbed Spike from behind and pushed him down into a chair. Willow gave only a cursory glance to the blonde vampire as she looked back to the room's center.

"A son? A son?" Buffy kept repeating. "How? When? Where?"

Willow stood her ground, even after Angel shot her a look that seemed almost to rescind his earlier offer of being a friend. She watched as he moved slightly away from the woman that he had professed to love forever and began pacing.

"Darla and I…" He began.

"Darla?" Buffy asked incredulously. "Minion of the Master and former Scourge of Europe? Attached my mother? Dead by your hand right after the Harvest? Wanted you back? That Darla?"

Angel sighed as he first looked to the ceiling before returning his sights on Buffy. "Technically, I was the Scourge of Europe…"

"Technical? You want to get technical?"

"Buffy…" Oz moved towards the blonde-haired slayer, but Willow watched as she ducted from his outstretched hand.

"Not now, Oz."

Willow's first real boyfriend ran his fingers through his orange-dyed hair as he stepped away from the situation. He didn't transform into a werewolf from moonlight anymore, but more like when emotions ran high. (I hope this situation isn't going to upset him.)

Her attention was drawn back to Buffy and Angel as they continued their… discussion… regarding Angel having a son.

"You slept with Darla?" Buffy accused.

Angel's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Are we going to discuss sleeping habits, now?"

"Wait, now." Riley spoke up.

"I'd prefer not." Sam added.

"Go for it, luv." Spike called out from his seat before Faith could punch him and prevent him from continuing on.

Buffy just shook her head. "I can't believe you have a son. Why didn't I know about this? Where is he? How old?"

Angel looked around the room. "Very few are left that knew… I had Wolfram and Hart hide him, keep him safe from my enemies."

"Still…"

"Buffy. I erased the knowledge of him from everyone. That worked… for a while… but eventually some found out."

Buffy sighed as she moved to sit in an empty chair. "How old is he? Wow. I don't even know his name."

"His name is Conner. And he's twenty something."

"What?" Buffy stood back up. "Twenty? Something? And I'm just now hearing about it…"

Angel already had his hands held out, trying to calm her down. "It's a long story… as usual. And I promise to tell you. But later." Willow watched as he turned and looked at her. "Right now, I want answers on why you think my son is a better match."

Willow sighed. "And you can't see it?"

She watched as Angel and Buffy looked at one another. Surveying the room, everyone was pretty much staying out of things while Willow laid all the cards out on the table.

"Fine." She started. "Using Spike's example for compatible pairs, then we have to look at Dawn and Conner. Both were magicaklly created. Both are related to you by blood, though neither should exist. One was remembered though never there. One was forgotten, but always there."

"But…" Angel attempted to interrupt.

"You think I like this? Either of you?" She stared at both the vampire and the slayer until both averted their eyes first. "You think I want anyone hurt? _Especially_ those that I love… or their loved ones?"

"Will…"

"No, Buffy. I know you mean well, but you're threatening my happiness. Sure, you helped bring about my time with Tara this past year, but now you're threatening to take it away, too." She knew her eyes were beginning to tear up, but she kept on. "We've got to save the world, maybe all of reality… again. We can't afford to play favorites when we have so little time."

"And I want to do this." Willow turned to see Dawn, her eyes wet, as well.

"We all do." Tara moved over to stand behind Willow, putting her arms around her comfortingly.

Everyone finally looked to Angel, his eyes dry. "Fine. We'll try it your way… Again." (He was going to be all broody now.) "But if Conner says no, then we have to find another way."

The door opening brought everyone's head around. Willow watched as a young man in severe need of a haircut (or at least a stylist) made his way into the room. Once the stranger saw that he had the room's attention, he smiled and looked directly at Angel.

"Why would I say no?"

OOOOOO

(( 03 Hours 43 Minutes remaining ))

"Coincidences aside, Will, how'd you do it?" Tara asked, her eyes shining.

"Do what?"

"Get Conner here. I didn't feel any woogy stuff from you." She glared accusingly. "You been hiding a boy under the bed?"

"And a cute boy, at that." Kennedy added.

Willow laughed. "That's it. You caught me. I've secretly had him tied up under our bed, hoping that listening to three lesbians on the bed above would drive him into a fighting frenzy that I could spring on Angel and Buffy during one of their non-lover's spats a few hours before we fight another apocalyptic battle for the fate of everyone and everything..."

Kennedy smiled. "At least you admit to it."

"Seriously." Willow looked from Tara to Kennedy, then back. "I had no idea he was anywhere around. Call it bad writing, if you will… he just, showed up."

"Well, whatever it is, it's what we needed."

Kennedy looked past Willow at Tara. "Could it be too good to be true?"

"You think we're getting set up?" Willow asked.

"No…" Tara finally answered. "Not if what we suspect is right. No. Conner's the real thing."

"Why do you say that?"

Tara shrugged. "Everything we're attempting falls in line with what the Wolf, Ram and Hart want, as well. And that means that they want the spell to work."

"But there are others out there, not wanting us to succeed." Willow retorted.

"You know…" Kennedy began as she reclined on the couch, taking full advantage of not being stuck in the middle. "I remember reading somewhere that there's some type of cosmic theory that says something like all parts required for the next step are provided…"

Willow arched her eyebrow. "What?"

Tara leaned over Willow, putting all three women into an even tighter group on the hotel office's couch, effectively pinning Willow between her two lovers (and not necessarily in the way I might have imagined…). "I think that was one of my old school books. About quantum theory."

"Yeah. I think that's the one."

"Was it blue? The book, I mean."

Kennedy smiled at Tara. "Definitely. A blue book with a yellow spine."

"That's it!" Tara pressed closer to Kennedy to kiss her on the cheek.

Willow pushed both women back as she finally was able to breathe. Taking a deep breath, she stood so that she could face both of them at the same time. "Okay. Quantum theory. Hit me with it."

"You go, Tara." Kennedy offered.

Willow smiled as the brunette witch smiled briefly at the slayer. "O-okay. As I remember it, scientists are attempting to p-prove that specific events in time call the sp-specific energies needed for the events to occur."

"Huh?" She felt like Buffy.

Tara smiled. "This event c-couldn't occur without everyone b-being here… so it called us all here."

"But that's insane." Willow argued. "You're saying that no matter what we did, that the prophecy would have forced us here. Now. At this place."

Tara and Kennedy nodded.

"But that's insane." She repeated.

"Reality is only what you make of it." Tara smiled sadly.

"So… because I believe the prophecy is real… it is?"

"And if you didn't." Kennedy leaned back on the couch. "Then it wouldn't work."

"In theory." Tara added.

"Great." Willow sat down in Kennedy's lap and lifted her feet to stretch out over Tara's legs. "So… we've got a spell that needs to reset reality, because the bad law firm didn't expect the good guys to get more than one slayer, and the rest of the bad guys are jealous… and we can succeed at this crazy plan, all because we believe in a prophecy from a book that's never been right before."

"Yep."

"You got it."

Willow closed her eyes. "I want a cookie."

OOOOOO

(( 03 Hours 01 Minutes remaining ))

"How long this thing gonna take? Buffy asked.

Willow raised her head from the scroll she was looking over to see that Faith and Conner were practicing fighting techniques. Beyond them and to the left, Buffy was walking away from where Ethan Rayne and Riley were in a deep discussion. To the right, Giles leaned against a table, a scattering of opened books all around him.

It was to the Watcher that Buffy had directed her query.

The redheaded witch watched as Giles looked up from the object of his attention and took a moment to regard Buffy seriously. As he moved to take his glasses off, Willow noted that while everyone in the room was still at whatever tasks had been assigned to them regarding further research, she could feel that they were all listening, waiting for an answer.

"Truth be told, Buffy… I'm not very positive."

"Right." Buffy walked carefully around the assorted spell casters and watchers busy looking over their assignments, moving closer to Giles. "So, how much time have we got before the little magickal nuke goes kablooey?"

"Yes. Well." Willow watched as he rubbed his glasses in a rag before putting them back up on his nose and carefully considering the slayer he had helped train. "The description provided for in _Visions of One Future's Past _is fairly straightforward."

"So… ten minutes?" Buffy asked.

"Hrm. Well. No." Giles looked back at the book in his hands before finally shrugging his shoulders. "With all prep time necessary and given our history for, well…"

"Being interrupted." Buffy offered.

"Yes. Quite. Barring any unforeseen interruptions or secondary problems that could be counterproductive to the goal…"

"Giles."

"Thirty minutes, give or take a few either way." Giles answered with a huff.

"Thank you." Buffy smiled, though her eyes seemed cold.

Willow watched as the Alpha Slayer gestured to one of the slayers standing at the doorway. With some pre-thought out signal, the young woman Willow didn't recognize pulled the door closed. The suddenness of the door's slamming shut caused everyone to stop pretending to be working and up at the blonde woman.

"Good. I have your attention." Buffy smiled sadly. "In less than three hours, the nuke we set on this course will hit. Though many of you were never supposed to be in harm's way, events went once again out of our control and have led us all here, rather than the relative safety of anywhere else in this world."

Willow watched as those that had been across the room drew near, and those that were already close at hand moved patiently so that everyone formed a ring about the slayer.

"The spell will take thirty minutes." Willow looked at her Watcher. "Give or take a few. What we need is to get things moving in the direction of being ready."

Buffy turned and looked at Riley. "You. Army boy. I need for you and Xander to get with the other Watchers and Slayers and get things together. There's going to be some heavy fighting coming up and I want you all at the ready."

"Got it."

"On it, Buff'ster." Xander smiled as he looked over at Riley.

"Angel. Spike." Both vampires seemed to materialize from the shadows where they had been standing. "You guys go get Illyria… I need you to lead the charge. You three have a better clue of what we're up against.

Neither spoke as Buffy turned to the rest of the room. "By my count, it's a little after nine o'clock. We've got less than three hours until midnight. I want the spell ready by no latter than eleven."

"Eleven, B?"

Buffy smiled sardonically at Faith. "Gives us a second try if the first doesn't take."

Tara raised her hand. "What do we do until then?"

Buffy shrugged. "I plan on spending some quick quality time with those I love."

At her statement, both Spike and Angel looked carefully at one another before looking intently at Buffy. Willow grinned as Buffy smiled in a way that had both vampires (in my humble opinion) ready to pounce… and take that as you want.

Willow took her eyes away from the sexual tension as Faith threw both of her hand up in the air in frustration. "Great. Gotta make time to make time with two vampires."

On the other side of the room, Xander clapped Riley on the back. "Just like ol' times, huh?"

Riley on the other hand, seemed to watch the scene unfolding between Buffy, Spike and Angel just a little bit too intently. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Willow heard Xander ask as the two made their way out the door, most likely to get started on Buffy's plan.

"Uhm, Buffy?" Willow moved closer, interposing herself between the blonde slayer and the vampires. "Are all ten ready? I mean… are we sure no one else is going to flake on us like Illyria?"

Buffy shook her head as she slowly drew her attention away from the en-souled vampires behind Willow and focused on the question. "Everyone seems to be ready."

"Even Eve?"

Buffy nodded. "She seems to think that either way, she's playing her part. She succeeds at the spell and the Senior Partners are gone, or the spell fails and she's dead and out of their grip."

"That's kinda…" Willow wasn't sure what to say.

"Pathetic" Angel offered from over her left shoulder.

"Sad." Spike followed from over her right.

"It's her only option." Buffy put her hands on her hips as she cocked her head to the side. "She has nothing left anywhere. Her boyfriend is dead…"

At Buffy's look, Angel nodded. "Definitely."

"And she's got no where to go."

"W, H and R would hunt 'er down for sure." Spike moved around Willow to move closer to Buffy.

"Okay. Well then." Willow looked around and could see Tara and Kennedy watching. "I'll let you get back to… uhm… right… I gotta go now."

Taking her opportunity to escape, Willow moved away from the center of the room to her own two waiting lovers. Even as fast as she moved, she still heard Buffy, though to who she was talking she couldn't fathom…. "… en let's go somewhere… more… private…"

(Ick. Buffy plus vampire equals sex. And now… Spike AND Angel. Double ick.)


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

**The Final Countdown**

(( 01 Hours and 37 Minutes remaining ))

The two women were sitting side by side at the table, both scooping our spoonfuls of ice cream from the carton sitting between them. Both were deep in conversation, whispering, though there wasn't really a need as they were surprisingly alone considering the number of people that they'd brought along for this particular adventure.

"Who's Nina?" Willow asked as she finished scooping out some of the ice cream.

Her best friend shrugged, her spoon digging into the mint chocolate chip. "Apparently, some hot werewolf chick that Angel liked. Likes." Willow watched as Buffy shook her head. "I don't know."

"Werewolf?"

Buffy sighed. "Apparently, he met her while on a case. He helps her out each month by locking her up so she can't hurt anyone."

"That's commitment…"

Willow ate another spoonful while Buffy stared at the clock against the far wall. Even from here, Willow could read that they had very little time left before it would be time to start the spell.

"So… the two of you didn't…?" She made a motion with her hands.

"Will!" Buffy looked shocked as she pulled the empty spoon from her mouth. "He's under a curse. We need Angel… not Angelus."

"And?" Willow prompted.

Buffy pursed her lips. "We talked. Cleared the air. It was…"

"Nice?"

"Good."

Willow nodded thoughtfully. "And Spike?"

At the peroxide blonde vampire's name, Willow watched in amazement as Buffy's face nearly glowed red. Trying to hide her embarrassment, Buffy ducked her head and moved to dig out another spoonful of green colored ice cream. "Well… sure. But, with all that's… and, well…"

Willow grinned. "No curse to worry about while you're…"

"Stop right there." Buffy jumped forward to put her hand over Willow's mouth. "Do I need to get some soap for you?"

The redheaded witch let her face shine with mischief as she fended off the Alpha Slayer. "Nope. Already had my bath. Tara and Kennedy even checked twice to make sure I didn't miss a spot… course that led to needing a bath all over again…"

Buffy quickly moved her hands from trying to stop Willow from talking to covering both of her ears.

"And you know what Kennedy can do with her tongue? It's pierced, ya' know." Willow tried to talk loud enough that her friend would still be able to hear her, but Buffy started humming loudly.

"Nanana, nana, na, nanananah…" Buffy shut her eyes like a child. "Can't hear you. Nahanaah…"

Willow stopped yelling and leaned back in the chair. She took a moment to get another bite of the ice cream, idly wondering how else she could embarrass Buffy…. (too bad there aren't pictures… Wait! What am I thinking?)

Every time Buffy moved to start pulling her hands away from her ears, Willow opened her mouth to start offering tidbits on her _lesbian three-way experiences_… and just as quickly, the blonde slayer went back to humming and closing her eyes.

(At least now I have a chance of eating some of the ice cream. Buffy can't eat any when both hands are against the side of her head.)

OOOOOOOO

(( 01 Hours 04 minutes remaining ))

Willow carefully ran her hands along the fuzzy collar of the jacket she was wearing. She was so happy to be out of the military-styled garb that she had worn since this whole adventure had begun. (While I look good in black… I so prefer something with color.)

A smile came unbidden to her face as she pictured Giles' reaction to her changing clothes before a major spell. (He'll probably compare me to Buffy.)

The witch stopped and glanced out from the window, taking in the absolute insanity of the scene unfolding before her... all thoughts of clothes flitting away. The sky overhead, just moments previous, was black and forbidding… though the clouds that blocked the stars above were now all tinted red by some unearthly design… some forbidding light higher in the sky.

Turning away from the window, Willow watched as the Council's sorcerers and other witches were all involved in putting the finishing touches onto the incantations and ritualistic accruements that the book had said were necessary for the Ring of Ten spell to succeed. Candles were lit in a glyph-like pattern unfamiliar to her, while several witches (Do I even know any of them?) were busy sanctifying the walls and floor of the lobby room.

They'd had to use the lobby, though it had been no one's first choice. Angel and Buffy had wanted to use the basement below, but Giles' worried that since the hotel had been already used in a "bad" spell by Wolfram and Hart, that it could interfere with their chances of success.

Willow felt her face tighten in a frown at both Giles' and Ethan's reaction to her suggestion of doing the spell outside. Both sorcerers had vehemently opposed moving the group outside. For one, they felt that even though the citizens of the city had miraculously avoided the city blocks surrounding the Hyperion and the blocked inter-dimensional gate, that to attempt such a spell outside was courting disaster. And ultimately, the third reason behind opposing Willow on the idea was that in such an open space, too much could potentially go wrong.

Willow had initially argued, Tara and Kennedy… and surprisingly Amy, as well, had sided with her, but the Watcher and the others had stood up to all of their counters… which left the lobby as the only available choice.

Shaking her head, Willow's dyed red hair danced along her neck and shoulders as she moved down the stairs. Everyone seemed to have something to do, as people were moving purposefully around the hotel… either as a magick user and in some group spell being cast, or as a defender with weapons at the ready.

"You okay?" A voice called to her left.

Looking up, Willow smiled briefly as Kennedy stepped into the lobby from outside. Willow tried to keep the smile on her face… trying to keep the brave face on… but knew she was failing as she could see the worry in her lover's face.

Finally, she nodded. "Yeah. Where are the others?"

"I'm here." Dawn moved from behind a column. "Just… hanging out, I guess."

"At least you're staying out of trouble." Buffy's voice came from across the room.

Willow watched as Dawn and several others looked up to watch the Alpha Slayer, followed by Faith, Spike and Angel all exit the office behind the front desk. The witch started to speak, but a door slamming shut from upstairs caught her attention.

Eve, Oz and Ethan Rayne came into the lobby from the courtyard door, each with grim looks on their faces. All three seemed to be in the middle of an argument.

"And I'm telling you… this won't work." Ethan sputtered at Oz's retreating back.

"It will."

"Just go with it, Rayne." Eve called over her shoulder. Willow watched as Ethan Rayne's face turned red. (He is definitely not happy about something.)

"What's wrong?" Faith's eyes perked up slightly, maybe at the thought of getting to hit someone… finally.

It was Oz, surprisingly, that answered. "Ethan thinks me and Eve won't work for this spell."

Eve moved over to the center of the room as she looked disgustingly at Ethan. "That Spike's basis for choosing the two of us is too farfetched."

"And we're arguing this now?" Dawn asked. "This couldn't have been discussed.. oh, say… hours ago?"

"I'm sorry." Ethan spoke smoothly at the youngest Summers girl. "I am not trying to cause a problem, but I don't like the choices."

"Bloody 'ell, mate." Spike rolled his eyes to the ceiling above. "Just called 'em like I see 'em. Not trying to get your knickers all bunched, ya know."

"It's too late for this, Ethan." Buffy glared at the sorcerer. "We've at sixty minutes and counting… and _now_ you want to talk about the pairings? Not gonna happen."

"Fine. It's your head then if reality fails."

Willow glanced over to catch Buffy rolling her eyes. "Fine. I take full responsibility if reality fails and we're blinked into nothingness… or something."

Dawn smiled as she nodded in support of her sister.

"And besides, Rayne, you've got very little choice in the matter." Sam Finn walked in front of her husband as they moved into the lobby from one of the alcoves. (Seems everyone's going to be here for the spell…)

"Right. It's either this or we execute you." Riley smiled from behind his wife. "Maybe I'll do it."

"Of course. Now your American bravado of threats and violence." Ethan almost looked bored. "You honestly think you can kill me?"

"I'm pretty sure you'll be dead either way. At least in participating in the spell, you have a chance to live." Buffy offered.

"Enough of this." Giles' voice came from the balcony above. "We need to try the spell immediately."

"Now?" Willow looked over at Eve, her face near "vampire white" pale.

The Watcher moved steadily to the staircase and down into the lobby. "Now, if we have any chance of having a second go if the first one doesn't work."

"Okay, people…" Riley's voice suddenly called out, echoing through the hotel. "We're at a go."

"That means now!" Buffy shouted.

OOOOOOO

(( 00 Hours 42 Minutes remaining ))

Willow could feel her heart pounding through her chest. They were well into the spell… and so far, almost nothing had gone as anyone had planned. She chided herself for being so negative, as she glanced around the lobby for what felt like the billionth time in the last few minutes.

The spell from the final pages of _Visions of One Future's Past_ had been as intricate and detailed as it had been difficult to prepare, but they had all lucked out to have so many sorcerers and witches along for the ride… each able to offer their particular specialty or area of expertise to setting everything up… whether it was mixing the right ingredients for the candle wax that was required, or the exact wording of particular incantations for lighting those candles in the order that the book required.

(In other words… it was one bitch of a spell.)

Giles had positioned all ten people (himself included) as was required, before finally (and a little bit begrudgingly) handing the book over to the young and previously misguided witch. It had been a long, hard discussion, but Tara and she had finally won Giles over into letting Amy read the incantations.

But none of that had been any type of problem compared to what happened once everything actually got started.

No.

It waited until Amy spoke the very first syllable of the spell.

In that moment in this reality, the barrier holding the monsters from invading Los Angeles failed. Willow, having casted and created it though she was no longer responsible for holding it up, had felt it drop like the Berlin Wall.

Willow had almost negligently realized that pandemonium had broken out from the sounds and shadows that came from beyond the Hyperion. Across the lobby and safely outside of the spell's parameters, she could see and hear as Xander and the Finns, as well as the vampires and Illyria had run for the door leading to the street, weapons in hand.

She felt as tears trailed along her cheeks as she could feel as well as witness Kennedy's indecision at staying to protect the ring and her lover or to go and join the fight outside where she might be needed, as well. Willow's gaze traveled away from Kennedy, hoping that her lover could find the strength to decided, as the red-headed witch looked at the faces of the others all a part of the new Ring of Ten, plus Amy in her role as caster.

"Jep neer volund yig foteen…" Willow could hear Amy's words, the language of the Celestials filling the room with a magick that seemed almost thick and syrupy… and maybe a touch spoiled and evil.

Across from her, Buffy stood resolute and firm, even as the afterimages of a million different colors and lights swirled around each of them… creating nonexistent connections around all of them, touching all of them.

"What's going on… ?" Tara called from across the circle. Willow felt her eyes travel to her lover, wishing that there had been some other way than to threaten her safety, more time for more all of the little things that they loved to do together, when Willow felt her eyes grow wider at the sight before her.

Tara was almost completely surrounded by the glowing light, only a rainbow cascade of swirls and lights surrounding her… and a new form began taking shape. The lights almost projected a picture (like a magickal hologram!) of a mermaid, but with wings.

Willow could feel her eyes pull to the left of Tara to watch as Ethan's light form was revealed as a four-headed lizard… like a hydra or something from Greek mythology.

Faith was next, as Willow remembered. She was forced to draw on her memory of where Giles had situated everyone, since all she could see next to the hydra was a valkyrie of Nordic legends, both regal and terrifying all at once.

Oz was next… and the magicks offered nothing new as a giant wolf stood in his place.

Dawn was between Oz and where Willow stood. Drawn to Buffy's sister, she watched as a unicorn shook out its mane and pranced in her place.

On her other side, Willow turned to look at Giles, though his form was no longer there. Instead, a sphinx like something from ancient Egypt sat, carefully watching the rest of the group.

Buffy was Death. Willow shook her head as she felt the tears freely falling down her face, to see her best friend garbed in blackest robes and the dangerous scythe that rested easily across her shoulder. (She once claimed that a vision quest had told her that "death was her gift". Was this really all that the slayer was?)

Forcing herself to look beyond the Alpha Slayer, Willow glanced to Eve, but was surprised to find the former minion of the Senior Partners changed very little. Though still made up of light, Eve appeared as but a nude female blindfolded, an ancient musical instrument in her hand.

Last was Conner, Angel's son. Willow had to catch her breath as she saw what appeared to be a dragon resting quietly. Afraid to move, she could see the scales along his extended neck, as well as the curve and texture of each horn and spike along his back… at least, that which wasn't hidden behind wings.

Willow wondered for a moment what she looked like, when the sound of Amy's voice calling desperately pulled her from further thoughts of magickal totems and tried to peer through the swirling lightshow to see what was wrong.

"Dur mai! Dur mai!" Amy called out, her face seeming almost scorched red from the high levels of magickal energy rolling across her within the shields that the spell had provided.

"What's wrong?" Willow heard Buffy call out… a strange thing to hear the blonde slayer's voice coming from the terrifying image of the Grim Reaper.

"Mur dai!" Amy called out again.

Willow tried to move, but realized that the simple little after effect of the lights all around them had done more than just create mythological images around them, but they had also trapped each of them in place. Willow could feel herself begin to struggle… to fight against the unseen bonds, before a quiet voice filled her head.

"_Baby? Can you hear me? Are you there?"_ (It was Tara!) _"Willow?"_

"_I'm here. Are you okay?"_

"_Can you see everybody… or do you see all of the… other things?"_

Willow smiled._ "I see you as a beautiful mermaid."_

"_Really? Not too Disney, is it?"_

She couldn't help but laugh at the mental image that came of Tara as a cartoon mermaid_. "Not at all, baby. So much sexier… "_

"_Good."_

"_What about me?"_ Willow asked telepathically. _"What am I?"_

"_Scary and beautiful and wonderful and dangerous, all at once."_ Tara called back.

"_Well?"_

"_You look like you, baby."_

"_What!"_ Willow mentally shouted back.

"_I just see you."_

"Infree dost! Infree dost!" Amy's voice brought Willow away from her conversation. "Higgy wein. Jipo kitrensert!"

"_Can you tell what's wrong with Amy?"_

Tara's voice was quiet for a moment before responding back. _"What do you mean about Amy? Everything seems okay."_

Willow considered her lover's words. She took a moment to glance over at Amy. Even through all of the distortion and lights, Willow could see that Amy was having a difficult time with the spell… her voice filling the air, still though from a far away distance, screaming out the words to the spell.

"_Can't you hear her? Amy screaming?"_ Willow asked

"_Of course I can hear her screaming. I can hear all of them… all of your useless army of slayers and so-called magick users screaming."_ The voice changed and Willow felt her stomach drop. _"Just like I can hear the change in your breathing… the quickening of your heart… the fear filling your every being."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_Nevermind. You wouldn't understand, anyway."_

(If I'm going to save Tara… it has to be now!))

"_Last chance."_ Willow screamed with her mind as she began pulling magickal energies into her body from every possible direction she could.

Willow could feel the darkness and power of her magick begin to rise inside of her, pushing back the rotten taste of the spell's magick, replacing it with her own sweet, intoxicating magick. (Tara! Forgive me!) Willow could sense the world, even through the Ring's spell coming back into focus.

"Now… who are you?" She spoke aloud, not wasting the charade of talking mid-to-mind. Willow could feel the strength of her words crashing into the spell of the Ring of Ten.

"_W-who sets the terms?" _The voice called out feebly.

The presence was fighting her, refusing to bend to her will. The formerly red-headed witch called upon the strength of the dark magicks open to her… desperately wishing that the white hair had come, but the black was so easier to utilize… and forced the spell to remain open.

There was a scream… a terrible, agonizing cry of anguish and failure… It filled Willow's very core and soul…

And then suddenly, the images of light were gone.

OOOOOOO

(( Unknown ))

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Willow had to blink her eyes several times to become readjusted to the absence of the thousands of lights that had surrounded them during the spell. Shaking he head, she finally looked around the hotel lobby to see where everyone was and why there was no sound.

The hotel was gone. No. Not like it had been destroyed, but more like Willow was in an endless vacuum of white.

(I'm back in the area under the remains of the Wolfram and Hart building.)

She quickly glanced around for the elevator door, but it was gone. Trying to take stock of her situation, Willow looked around to see that she was alone. Tara, Giles, Buffy… all of them. All were gone, vanished.

(Maybe they're still back at the hotel.)

"_Actually, they're no where at the moment."_

At the voice filling her head, Willow turned around to look into the face of the Emissary. Holding in a sigh, the red-headed witch… (Wait!)… Willow lifted a strand of her hair up to her eyes. She grimaced at the black color between her fingers.

"_Black. White. Red. What does the color matter?"_ The melodious voice sang through her_. "You are the magick. Both sides. Always."_

"Fine." Willow refused to talk mentally. She moved her hands to the coat pockets in her jacket. "What do you mean that they're no where?"

The Emissary smiled sadly as she drew closer. _"Reality hangs on the balance. You must complete the spell. The Ring of Ten has been called."_

"Why me?"

"_Because you were the only one balanced enough to answer to set terms."_

"Balanced?"

The Emissary walked around the empty room, circling Willow. _"It was impressive, even by the standards of the last time this type of spell was called."_

"Last time?"

"_No matter."_ The woman waved her hand away like she was swatting at an annoying insect. _"Your army of humans and slayers, magick users and watchers, former god-kings and demon half-breeds was most impressive."_

"You mean against the barrier." It wasn't really a question.

"_Yes. Very impressive you level of power."_ The Emissary grinned. _"You lost only half… maybe two-thirds… of your forces."_

"What?"

"_Yes. We expected to win the battle… to push removal of our demonic forces as one of the terms for the Ring's deal, but we failed to consider all that you had on your side."_

"Do-do you know…" She almost couldn't ask. "Do you know who survived and who… ?"

"_Died?"_ The Emissary asked. Willow could only nod. _"I know every name of those that fell."_

As Willow opened her mouth to speak, the Emissary held up her hand, holding back the torrent of questions that she had. "We have other matters of which to speak."

Willow nodded. _"Tell me about the spell."_

"_Ten representatives of this reality are chosen to confront the Celestials on an even playing field. Each side gets to set terms for how reality will go on, each agreeing to abide by the terms set forth, preventing a chance for an unbalance and the return of the demonic rule of this reality."_

"So… where are the others?" Willow asked, looking around.

The Emissary began pacing. _"Buffy Summers fought and destroyed her test. As did Faith Lehane."_

"Destroyed?"

"_Yes. Neither was able to properly balance what was asked of them."_ The Celestial's Emissary responded negligently.

"And the others?" Willow had to know.

"_Rupert Giles and Ethan Rayne both failed_." The sudden movement that Willow made apparently caught her companion's notice. _"Both still live."_

"Why'd they fail?"

"_Neither possessed enough understanding to persevere."_

"What about everyone else?"

"_Dawn Summers and Conner Reilly both passed, though neither was eligible to set terms, as neither was naturally of this world."_ The Emissary looked at Willow. _"Eve Adamson was a poor choice. She was never allowed the chance. She waits upon terms to be set."_

Willow felt her heart in her throat. "And Oz? Tara?"

"_Daniel Osborne… the werewolf. He failed."_

"But he's okay… ? Right?"

The golden skinned woman was shaking her head. _"His human side was strong enough to set terms, but the beast within was not. It was destroyed."_

Willow could feel the tears trailing down her cheeks as she felt the anger and power of her emotions fueling her magicks, filling her with more and more power.

The Emissary only nodded. _"And Tara Maclay passed. She was the first to be able to set terms, but we were bound by the Higher Laws to not accept her."_

"Not accept her?" Willow was brimming with power. "Why?"

"_She returned to you because of a wish."_ The Emissary stated clearly_. "She is forbidden. She cannot affect the final outcome."_

"So…" Willow tried to hold the magicks inside. "You answer to someone higher?"

The Emissary turned to fully face Willow, her arms stretched out from her sides. _"Yes."_

Willow raised her had, allowing the energies to crackle and surround her hand… only a breath of control prevented the magicks from blasting into the woman standing in front of her.

"And why should you live?"

The Emissary's sad eyes looked directly into Willow's gaze. _"I am but the conduit to reaching those above and below."_

Willow arched her eyebrows.

"_Do you wish to set terms now?"_

"Yes."

The Emissary smiled as she gestured behind Willow. Not really trusting the situation, Willow stepped to the side so that she could keep her eye on her opponent as well as to see at what was being pointed out. She felt her eyebrows go high on her forehead as the elevator door opened.

"So, I take that up?"

The Emissary lowered her arms. _"Up or down. Both take you to the same place."_

"Is it safe?"

The Emissary quirked her head to the side… an entirely too human of a gesture for Willow to trust_. "You must meet with the Celestials to set the terms. The Ring of Ten has been set into motion."_

"And how long do we have before all reality goes bye-bye?"

"_Time waits for you, Willow Rosenberg."_

"Good to know."

"_Killing me will make no difference…"_

"Bored now." She interrupted.

Willow released that final link to the wall that was holding back the rush of power flowing through her. Energy… much like black lightning… slid through the space between her and the Emissary in less time than it took to let the power go, striking directly into the face and chest of the golden skinned woman. The witch was thrilled to watch as the jolt of magicks sent the Celestials' messenger flying through the air… to fall hard to the white floor.

Ignoring the scent of ozone, Willow flipped her black hair nonchalantly over her shoulder and moved closer to inspect the body. As she drew closer, she felt the smile of satisfaction as the Emissary didn't move. Kneeling down, Willow reached out and turned the being's head… pleasantly pleased to see that the eyes had melted and the golden skin was crisscrossed with heavy scorch marks.

(Definitely toast.)

Standing, Willow sauntered over to the elevator and pressed the up button.

(Could be my only chance to go up….)


End file.
